At your Beck and fall.
To todays music fan, the word Beck means that crazy genre splicing, jamboree hip-hop, two turntables and a microphone guy who makes up words that can only be found in the "Becktionary." However, go a bit further back in time and the word Beck only meant one thing for music worshippers. In an era when England was churning out a procession of serious guitar Gods, Jeff Beck was rubbing shoulders with Clapton and Page and would be many peoples favourite guitarist of them all. Although his career has been sporadic throughout the years, at times due to health issues, others due to temperamental issues there has always been a strong fan base for Jeff Beck.
Whilst the music on show is a testament to the way that Becks' guitar playing is revered, it also indicates that for all the musical talent he had, song writing was not a talent that came to the fore as equally. This writer (and many others probably) first introduction of Jeff Beck came through various weddings and family events where "Hi Ho Silver Lining" would be aired and bellowed along to by many members of the family. This was Beck at his most commercial and as this album leans towards the jazz-fusion side of his output (haha, that statement deserves a chuckle in any context) so that ditty is completely absent here.
Tribute albums are a strange breed, often released with no real purpose. A notable exception was the Daniel Johnston record with the proceeds enabling the songwriter to buy a house or tribute albums to long forgotten artists who the cultural rebirth may benefit but on the whole, there is a "why bother" feel to tribute records. They're going to appeal to the fan of the act they're paying tribute to but then again, they'll likely have the original material so the desire to have newer versions of their favourite songs may not be as appealing.
Whether these versions do anything for you is all a matter of personal taste. The Yardbirds version of 'Over Under Sideways Down' was an electrifying and amazingly exciting bluesy guitar strut but this version with John Scofield taking the lead guitar duties is rather tame and not to this reviewers liking at all, and as the album continues, that thought occurs and re-occurs. When you have a tribute album, its impossible to not judge the songs in comparison to the originals and if you have any fondness for the originals, there will be some chin-stroking about these new ones. If you have no fondness for the originals, then you're likely to be less enthused about a re-imaged version.
The vast majority of songs on this record have been played well and are clearly labours of love by artists who would consider Jeff Beck a strong influence on their career; it just doesn't come across as that exciting. With a constant backing band on all the tracks, there is at least a thread of continuity throughout the record, allowing it to come across as being better executed by some tribute albums but all in all, the failing comes in the genre and material the band has to work with, as opposed to anything musical that has gone wrong.