Emotion & Commotion in Bloomington, MN

When
Jeff Beck
last ventured into the studio it was to cut 2003's
Jeff
, a deliberately modernist album steeped in electronica, to which 2010's
Emotion & Commotion
almost feels like a refutation. Working with producers
Steve Lipson
and
Trevor Horn
,
Beck
has created an old-fashioned blues-rock-cum-prog record, balancing the sweeping vistas of a 64-piece orchestra with cool jazz-funk grooves, tarted-up
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
covers with a pair of
Jeff Buckley
tunes and a gentle reading of
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Joss Stone
sits in for two songs, including
"I Put a Spell on You,"
with jazz vocalist
Imelda May
and opera singer
Olivia Safe
taking lead on two others, but the focus remains on
, who is in a reserved, lyrical mood. Occasionally, the tempo ratchets up --
"Hammerhead,"
which begins as a '60s riff rocker before quickly heading to
Blow by Blow
territory;
"There's No Other Me,"
the other
Stone
showcase -- but
remains languid and even dreamy despite the crisp, cavernous
Horn
production that gives it a feeling of being trapped in 1990. All this is due to
, who has chosen to forgo his signature frenzied fretboard blitzkriegs and weave long 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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine