- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
In emulating great vocalists he has admired, from Jeff Buckley to Judy Garland, the guitarist conjures a serene lyricism. Female vocalists drawn from the worlds of opera (Olivia Safe), swing (Imelda May) and soul (Joss Stone) provide window-dressing, and the symphony orchestra accompaniment is gratuitous.
-
Beck has chosen to forgo his signature frenzied fretboard blitzkriegs and weave long, laconic phrases, his guitar rich, thick, and warm, sounding familiar yet different: he's never sustained this level of grace for a full record, and his soulful playing cuts through the clean sheen of the production, always commanding attention even when he's not demanding it.
-
Though the individual songs are quite different stylistically, it's an incredibly cohesive album, with the tracks flowing together and melding effortlessly into a beautiful expression of Jeff Beck's exploratory impulse.
-
MojoEmotion & Commotion embraces tunes so big you'd think no more could be wrung into them. [May 2010, p. 93]
-
Imagine Phil Mickelson in a round of putt-putt and you'll get a sense of what's on the line for Beck's first studio album in seven years.
-
Entertainment WeeklyThe guitar legend ticks that box [soporific Muzak] here with laid back instrumental versions of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Nessun Dorma" that recreates the excitement of an elevator ride. [14 Apr 2010, p.73]
-
UncutYes, Beck was always unpredictable, but this is one weirdly unfocused album. [May 2010, p.83]
-
Q MagazineHis first studio album in sedven years is an indigestible hotchpotch containing everything from heavier-than-thou riffing to ill-judged tilt at Puccini's Nessun Dorma. [May 2010, p.126]