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So for true Hendrix fans you fall short of truly understanding Hendrix if you were expecting these talented artists to come out and sound like and copy Hendrix. An earlier reviewer dismissed the Chaka Khan and Kenny Olson's version of Little Wing. Hendrix would have loved it. Both Khan and Olson have captured the Hendrix spirit not copied it.

If he were alive today Hendrix would have played with Prince.

This album is not for the musically challenged but rather it is for the searcher, the person looking beyond the boundaries, just as Hendrix did 40 years ago.

There can only be and there will only be one Jimi Hendrix. To keep him alive his music must be expanded not copied. The Model T was great but not many of them around today, but boy did they inspire a lot of great cars over the years. Hendrix is like that Model T an inspiration to millions of musicians. We don't need another Hendrix clone, what we need are musicians to step out and up. That was what Jimi was about and it is what his spirit is about. When Kenny Olson of Kid Rock takes the stage every night he isn't trying to be Jimi Hendrix, he isn't even trying to copy Hendrix. No Olson is being who he is supposed to be: Kenny Olson with a touch of the Hendrix spirit inside.

Since he can't speak for himself I will put words into his mouth: Thank You Kenny, Chaka, Eric, Lenny, Prince and the rest of you for this!

Kudos to Experience Hendrix (sister Janie) and all the musicians for stepping up and out on this tribute CD. It deserves all stars it can get plus an extra one!

RC


Bonus Star for Being the Best Jimi Tribute Yet   June 7, 2004
 7 out of 10 found this review helpful

Honestly, I can only give this 4 stars at best. Tribute albums rarely come close to having the unity and consistency to warrant high praise. But this disc has incredible unity plus a healthy dose of heart and soul. It's as if each contributing artist was visited by Jimi's spirit - seriously. On first listen, I admit I had a bit of a blase reaction but by the third time around, I'd locked in. I can't really say that there are truly stand out cuts, it's more of a pulse that you pick up after beginning to get to know it as a whole.

The liner notes put things into perspective nicely, but I really wish there were more. I'd like to know some details about Velvet Turner's tune and what had been going on in Velvet's life over the last few years. More info would have fit in fine with the theme of the disc. There are many Hendrix tribute discs out there and to put it bluntly, many of them are flat out lousy. Stone Free now has a partner in the quest to release fitting Jimi tributes.


Pretty sweet for a 'tribute' album, the best of its kind   April 6, 2005
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Tribute albums are usually a mixed affair, and few really hold up as albums, but this one comes close. It succeeds on so many levels for several reasons. First, the man it pays tribute to, Jimi Hendrix, is an indisputable legend; his reputation is so widespread, kids who've never heard his music know who he is. So not surprisingly, he's had an enormous influence on a wide variety of musicians, which brings us to a second reason why this collection succeeds: the participating musicians. The line-up here is so impressive because each artist is so different from the other, yet each one has some connection to him, either as a collaborator, as an artist he influenced, or as a friend.

Organized by the Hendrix estate, this disc has plenty of highlights: "Purple House" by Prince and former Sly & the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham showcases Prince's amazing guitar skills - the best track, and from an artist who, like Hendrix, managed to be a great innovator and commercial success while crossing the barrier between rock and r&b. Carlos Santana and Living Colour's Corey Glover perform an excellent cover of "Spanish Castle Magic," with an inspired jazz rhythm section: bassist Stanley Clarke and the late, great Tony Williams, arguably the greatest drummer of all-time. Elsewhere, Sting sings and plays bass on a cover of "The Wind Cries Mary," which has some searing guitar work by John McLaughlin; George Clinton and Bootsy Collins (of Parliament/Funkadelic/etc.) shake it up with "Power of Soul," Chaka Khan and Kid Rock's guitarist Kenny Olson do a strong version of "Little Wing," the late, great blues legend John Lee Hooker covers "Red House" (actually a track from a previous John Lee CD; he passed away before he could record something new, so they selected this as a tribute to him as well), and an awesome live recording of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble performing "Little Wing" and "3rd Stone..." from Oct, 20, 1983 in Philadelphia for the King Biscuit Flour Hour. Granted, none of these covers 'surpass' the originals, and there are some mild disappointments, like an Eric Clapton/Chic collaboration on "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" (a real letdown) and Lenny Kravitz's contribution, but as tributes go, this is surprisingly good, the kind you'll actually listen to again.


Power Of Soul Bonus Disc   May 24, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I just heard the bonus disc with this cd seems to only be available at Best Buy. It has 2 songs the first is with Seal doing Wind Cries Mary and the 2nd one is a real fun song with Vernon Reid and what seems to be another guitarist doing
Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice it is a really fun version with some wicked fret action definitely worth getting