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Across the Water
Studio album by
Bernard Allison
Released2000
Genre Blues, blues rock
LabelTone-Cool
ProducerJim Gaines
Bernard Allison chronology
Times Are Changing
(1998) 		Across the Water
(2000) 		Hang On
(2001)

Across the Water is an album by the American musician Bernard Allison, released in 2000. [1] [2] Allison supported the album with a North American tour. [3] It was Allison's second album to be released in the United States. [4]

Production

Recorded in Memphis and Minneapolis, the album was produced by Jim Gaines. [5] [6] [7] Allison felt it was necessary to add rock elements to his music, as blues was becoming less popular with younger Black audiences. [8] "I Just Came Back to Say Goodbye" is a cover of the Colin James song. [9] "Love Is Free" and "Change Your Way of Living" are covers of songs by Allison's father, Luther Allison. [10] "There's No Higher Love" employs a horn section. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [12]
Fort Worth Star-Telegram [13]
Ottawa Citizen [14]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings [15]
The Press of Atlantic City [16]

Exclaim! wrote that "Bernard's guitar burns and blisters harder and faster across much of this release and his tone is to die for." [9] Billboard praised "the bluesy Hendrix riffage of the title track." [17] The Hartford Courant said that Allison is "an inventive guitarist, sprinkling crunchy power chords, gritty solos and funky wah-wah lines all over the album." [11]

The Washington Post opined that, "at times, Across the Water sounds like an early-'70s Savoy Brown album with all the lumbering bombast and broad gestures such an analogy implies." [18] The Ottawa Citizen concluded that Allison "seems to be making a grab for the Top-10 ring of pop music success and, for better or worse, he's got too much pure ability and blues chops to make it work." [14] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram determined that "Allison's blues can get generic at times, but far more often he is convincing." [13]

AllMusic wrote that "rock, funk, and straight-ahead blues are all covered with ease." [12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The River's Rising" 
2."Meet Me Half Way" 
3."I Just Came Back to Say Goodbye" 
4."I Want to Get You Back" 
5."Love Is Free" 
6."Coming Back (Across the Water)" 
7."Change Your Way of Living" 
8."Feels Kinda Funny" 
9."Work It Out" 
10."There's No Higher Love" 
11."I've Been Down" 

References

  1. ^ "Bernard Allison Biography by Thom Jurek". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  2. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (3 Aug 2000). "Bernard Allison, son of the late blues great...". Times Union. Albany: Knight Ridder. p. P41.
  3. ^ King, Sharon (14 Aug 2000). "Heir and 'Water'". New York Now. Daily News. New York. p. 51.
  4. ^ Gardner, Cathy (31 Oct 2000). "Musician returns 'home,' wins new fans". Chicago Defender. p. 14.
  5. ^ Skelly, Richard (15 Oct 2000). "Keepin' the blues alive". Asbury Park Press. p. E1.
  6. ^ Cullen Chapman, Cindy (16 Jun 2000). "B.A. in Blues". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids. p. 8W.
  7. ^ "A glimpse at the new and notable". Journal Star. Peoria. 3 Aug 2000. p. C3.
  8. ^ Morris, Chris (Jun 17, 2000). "Young Black blues artists on the fringes". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 25. pp. 1, 100.
  9. ^ a b Thom, Eric (February 1, 2001). "Bernard Allison Across the Water". Exclaim!. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  10. ^ Kassulke, Natasha (26 Oct 2000). "Carrying On Dad's Legacy". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 21.
  11. ^ a b Danton, Eric R. (17 Aug 2000). "Across the Water Bernard Allison". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 6.
  12. ^ a b "Across the Water Review by Al Campbell". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  13. ^ a b Ferman, Dave (11 Aug 2000). "Bernard Allison, Across the Water". Star Time. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 16.
  14. ^ a b Provencher, Norman (24 Feb 2001). "Blues". Ottawa Citizen. p. K4.
  15. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 4.
  16. ^ Cronin, Steve (8 Sep 2000). "'Across the Water', Bernard Allison". At the Shore. The Press of Atlantic City. p. 28.
  17. ^ Paoletta, Michael (Aug 12, 2000). "Across the Water". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 33. p. 20.
  18. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (13 Oct 2000). "Bernard Allison 'Across the Water'". The Washington Post. p. WW15.
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