The Crave
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''The Crave'' is the second studio album by
Stephen Dale Petit Stephen Dale Petit (born 19 April 1969) is an American-born guitarist, singer, songwriter and New Blues musician. Petit's blues guitar experience started at a young age in California and continued through addiction, alcoholism, homelessness, a ...
, released on the 26 July 2010. It features guest appearances from former
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
guitarist
Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, h ...
, original Rolling Stones bassist and
Pretty Things The Pretty Things were an English band formed in September 1963 in Sidcup, Kent. They took their name from Willie Dixon's 1955 song "Pretty Thing". A pure rhythm and blues band in their early years, with several singles charting in the Unite ...
guitarist
Dick Taylor Richard Clifford Taylor (born 28 January 1943) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and founding member of the Pretty Things. Taylor was an early bassist for the Rolling Stones, but left the band to resume his studies at Sidcu ...
and keyboardist
Max Middleton David Maxwell Middleton (born 4 August 1946) is an English composer and keyboardist who was originally a docker on the London docks. Middleton is known for his work on the Fender Rhodes Electric piano, the Minimoog synthesiser and his percussiv ...
. The album contains original material and covers of staple songs within the Blues genre. Covers include versions of
Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...
's ''"As The Years Go Passing By", "Need Your Love So Bad"'' (most famously covered by
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
) and a re-interpretation of
Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
's ''"Cross Road Blues"'' (covered by
Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
). Speaking to Blues Matters Magazine, Petit addressed the potential controversy involved with re-working seminal, "sacred" blues recordings:
"These songs were dead. My so-called desecration
f the original versions F, or f, is the sixth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Let ...
was an act of love. I feel a wonderment and enchantment about these songs, which is why I recorded them. If the blues is to grow and thrive it has to evolve."


Recording and production

Recording sessions for ''The Crave'' took place at Chapel Studios, Lincoln and 2 kHz Studios, London. ''The Crave'' was produced by Stephen Dale Petit and mixed by Jim Spencer (New Order, Johnny Marr, The Vaccines) and Ian Grimble (The Clash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Manic Street Preachers). Additional recording took place at British Grove Studios, Metropolis Studios, and The Smokehouse and at Petit's home studio.


Guest appearances

Former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor features on slide guitar on "Slide". Dick Taylor of The Pretty Things and formerly of The Rolling Stones plays bass on ''"Need Your Love So Bad"''. Keyboardist Max Middleton features on final track "Hole in My Soul". String arrangements for ''The Crave'' were orchestrated by Chris Elliot (Amy Winehouse, David Gray, Adele). Rolling Stone
Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a nu ...
appears on album opener "3 Gunslingers" in the form of a pre-recorded answer phone message that features at the intro of the song, which was inspired by an evening in late 2009 which Petit spent with Wood and Eric Clapton driving around North London in Petit's car. The song's lyrics chronicle that evening.


Concept and influences

In keeping with his long-standing and well-publicised mission to incite a "New Blues Revolution", Petit has stated that his primary goal with the album was to "explore different ways of approaching and presenting the blues", and avoid re-creating stereotypes within the genre: "There are a lot of contemporary blues albums that adhere to predictable conventions: certain production values, arrangements, sonic cliches, stereotypical lyrical things and so on. I had zero interest in making an album like that… I wanted the music coming out of the speakers to sound like it was, say, 1935 or 1954 or whenever and 2010 simultaneously." ''The Crave'' was celebrated by critics for its musical diversity. ''Classic Rock'' magazine described the album as moving "from Gospel to Punk via several shades of Boogie". Petit stated that he intended ''The Crave to serve as a wide-lens view of the Blues as a genre, demonstrating its presence in a wide variety of genres and demonstrating the widespread influence of the Blues on other genres. Speaking to ''Classic Rock'' Magazine about the album's re-interpretation of Tupac Shakur's hip-hop classic "California Love", Petit said: "The hypnotic riff in California
ove Ove or OVE may refer to *Ove (given name) *Ové, a surname *Ove Peak in Antarctica *''A Man Called Ove (novel)'', a novel by Fredrik Backman *'' A Man Called Ove'', a 2015 Swedish film based on the novel *Danish Organisation for Renewable Energy (O ...
was sampled from a Joe Cocker song called 'Woman to Woman'. That riff is Deep Blues. Blues is at the core of Tupac's song. If people can't hear that… Well, you know, there were people in the 50s and 60s who said that electric blues, city blues, was not blues, thereby discounting the entire Chess Records catalogue."


Artwork

The album sleeve features a vibrant, contemporary design. Petit wanted to present the album in a way that was visually exciting, avoiding the usual presentation cliches associated with the blues genre: "I wanted to push boundaries and get up
lues The first recorded outbreak of syphilis in Europe occurred in 1494/1495 in Naples, Italy, during a French invasion. Because it was spread by returning French troops, the disease was known as "French disease", and it was not until 1530 that the te ...
purist's noses because if purists have it their way, the music goes nowhere. It just dies." The cover was designed by award-winning multi-media artist Oli Max. The remainder of the album's artwork and packaging were designed by Monosapien and Olimax.


Critical reception

The album marked an expansion of critical recognition from blues-centric publications into the mainstream press for Petit and his music. Upon the album's release, Petit was featured in The Times, MOJO, The Independent, The Sunday Times, Classic Rock and The Express, with the general consensus being that The Crave signalled his evolution and maturation as an artist. Blues Matters Magazine said: " etithas expanded his playing, developed his songwriting and really delivered some fine numbers. His playing is dynamite, his vocals are exultant… This is absolutely the most personal album that has been released this year and possibly the most important – simply brilliant." The album was listed in Classic Rock magazine's "50 Best Albums Of The Year". "Cali Guitar Hero starts Blues Renaissance" said MOJO Magazine, continuing that "The Crave puts the blues in a contemporary context." The Times praised the album's "raw, fresh energy" and The Sunday Times Culture Magazine ran a lengthy feature on Petit and The Crave. The Sunday Mirror called Petit "a guitar sensation" and Time Out London labelled him a "new blues revolutionary". ''The Crave'' also received widespread positive reviews online. Loudhorizon.com wrote: "The Crave is a seventeen track masterpiece. This album should see Petit vie for King of the Blues title." BRFM.com likened The Crave to seminal album London Calling by The Clash: "
he Crave is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
Fabulous. The mastery of styles had me thinking of London Calling by The Clash. By the time the last song finishes all you can do is hit repeat."


Track listing

All songs were written by
Stephen Dale Petit Stephen Dale Petit (born 19 April 1969) is an American-born guitarist, singer, songwriter and New Blues musician. Petit's blues guitar experience started at a young age in California and continued through addiction, alcoholism, homelessness, a ...
, except where noted. #"3 Gunslingers" – 3:49 #"California" (
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...
,
Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
,
Roger Troutman Roger Troutman (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999), also known as Roger, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and heavily influenc ...
, Woodrow Cunningham Norman Durham) – 4:10 #"Let There Be More Light" (SDP, Chris Elliott) – 6:11 #"Gun Song" – 5:09 #"Soul Survivor" (SDP, Chris Borud, Gary O' Toole) – 4:23 #"Need Your Love So Bad" (Mertis John Jr) – 5:08 #"Judgement Day" – 1:42 #"Cross Road Blues" (
Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
) – 4:19 #"Open" – 3:02 #"The Crave" (SDP, Laurent Mouflier, Chris Belshaw, Federico Ariano) – 5:17 #"Lookin' For Trouble" – 2:33 #"Slide" (SDP, Gary O' Toole) – 3:50 #"As The Years Go Passing By" (Deadric Malone) – 3:47 #"Sunnyland Stomp" – 1:11 #"It's All Good" – 2:59 #"Voodoo Lover" – 5:01 #"Hole In My Soul" – 7:58


Personnel

*Stephen Dale Petit – guitar, vocals, backing vocals, bass, melotron, Hammond organ, piano, maracas and shakers *Chris Borud – bass *Gary O' Toole – drums, backing vocals *Laurent Mouflier – harp *
Martin Ditcham Martin Ditcham is an English drummer, percussionist and songwriter. Ditcham is a prolific session musician, working with artists such as Henry Cow, Status Quo, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Roger Daltrey, Sade, Mary Black, Nik Kershaw, Chris ...
– percussion Additional musicians *
Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, h ...
– guitar on "Slide" *
Dick Taylor Richard Clifford Taylor (born 28 January 1943) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and founding member of the Pretty Things. Taylor was an early bassist for the Rolling Stones, but left the band to resume his studies at Sidcu ...
– bass on "Need Your Love So Bad" *
Max Middleton David Maxwell Middleton (born 4 August 1946) is an English composer and keyboardist who was originally a docker on the London docks. Middleton is known for his work on the Fender Rhodes Electric piano, the Minimoog synthesiser and his percussiv ...
– Fender Rhodes on "Hole in My Soul" *Chris Elliot – string and horn arrangement, piano and drums on "California", "Let There Be More Light", "Need Your Love So Bad", "Judgement Day", "As The Years Go Passing By" and "Hole in My Soul" *London Studio Orchestra – strings on "California" *Samuel Dixon – bass on "Let There Be More Light" *Mark St. John – drums on "Need Your Love So Bad" *Damon Wilson – drums on "Let There Be More Light" *Bob Knight – drums on "Hole in My Soul" *Pete Davis – keyboards on "California" and "The Crave" *Dave Moore – Hammond organ and piano on "Soul Survivor", "It's All Good' and "Voodoo Lover" *Thomas Ross Johansen – Hammond organ on "Let There Be More Light" *
Frank Ricotti Frank Ricotti (born 31 January 1949) is an English jazz vibraphonist and percussionist. Early life and education Ricotti was born in London, England. His father was a drummer. Bill Ashton, founder of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NY ...
– vibes on "Cross Road Blues" *Angela Brooks – backing vocals on "California", "Let There Be More Light", "Judgement Day", "The Crave", "Slide", "As The Years Go Passing By" and "It's All Good" *TJ Davis – backing vocals on "California", "Let There Be More Light", "Judgement Day", "The Crave", "Slide" and "It's All Good" *Gino Williams, Mark Harrison and Anna Ross – backing vocals on "California" and "Judgement Day" *Richard Edwards, Dave Bishop, Dave Stewart Horns, Mike Smith and Jamie Talbot – horns on "California", "Cross Road Blues" and "As The Years Go Passing By" *Roberto Manzin and Paul Spong – horns on "Let There Be More Light" and "It's All Good" *Martin Loveday, Dave Daniels, Antony Pleeth, Peter Lale, Bruce White, Vicci Wardman, Perry Montague-Mason, Chris Tombling, Emlyn Singleton, Boguslaw Kostecki, Patrick Kiernan and Warren Zielinski – strings on "Cross Road Blues" and "As The Years Go Passing By" *Wired Strings – strings on "Hole in My Soul" *Produced by Stephen Dale Petit *"California" and "Let There Be More Light" produced by Ian Grimble/Stephen Dale Petit *Mixed by Jim Spencer and Stephen Dale Petit at Chapel Studios *"California", "Open" and "As the Years Go Passing By" mixed by Ian Grimble at 2 kHz Studios *Mastered by Andy Jackson


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crave Stephen Dale Petit albums 2010 albums