Jeff Beck Mixes New Solo Album

Jeff Beck Mixes Rock with Classical on New Solo Album

Jeff Beck’s forthcoming new solo album, Emotion & Commotion, promises to be among the most eclectic recordings of the guitarist’s career.

Slated for release on April 13, the album features a mix or original music and cover songs, including renditions of the Wizard of Oz classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Jeff Buckley’s “Corpus Christi Carol,” and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins' “I Put a Spell on You.” Among the disc’s three guest singers is Joss Stone, who handles vocals on the latter song.

Complementing Beck’s guitar work on several tracks will be a 64-piece orchestra. The legendary rocker says the idea to bring in an orchestra evolved from his work on Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, which he recorded a few years ago.

“It turned out amazingly well, but I didn’t want to commit to an entire album of classical music,” Beck says. “What appealed to me instead was the idea of bringing together these seemingly contradictory sounds on different kinds of non-classical music.”

Among the disc’s original compositions is “Hammerhead,” a track said to incorporate a horn arrangement into a wah-driven groove, and “Never Alone,” a soundscape that features a “high-flying” melody.

Frequent Beck collaborators Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Jason Rebello (keyboards), and Tal Wilkenfeld (bass) contribute throughout the disc, which was recorded in late 2009 in London.

EMOTION & COMMOTION Track Listing:

1. “Corpus Christi Carol”
2. “Hammerhead”
3. “Never Alone”
4. “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
5. “I Put A Spell On You” featuring Joss Stone
6. “Serene”
7. “Lilac Wine” featuring Imelda May
8. “Nessun Dorma”
9. “There’s No Other Me” featuring Joss Stone
10. “Elegy For Dunkirk” featuring Olivia Safe