I know Jeff Jacobs from Foreigner, playing the keyboards. Very surprising to me that now he has made a blues cd and even singing on it!!! But I tell you this: the man is great. This man has been able to make a blues cd that sounds so good, I haven't heard that in a while. And it's kind of different as well. This is a cd with the normal standard blues numbers on it, but also some rocking blues and very soft ballad blues that comes across very well. Those styles are a welcome change in the world of blues. And although Jeff is not the greatest blues singer around, he still does it very well and the meaning of the lyrics are well put with his voice. Thank you very much for this great cd!!! Renée

The album shows a staggering range from the telltale opening bars of the knockout title track to the sweethearted and clever I Like to the commiserating If You Ain't Got, to the infectious and souprising surefire hit My Daddy's Soup, straight on into the confessional truth and tasty guitar licks of Where The Bitter Grows, to the hard rocking Distant Light, and then back into the Blues with Ain't Gonna Happen (there's the girls), then another contender for the title in Setting Me Up, and we jump into the hot engine of No Choice, then off to Mars and ZZ Top, and we land with the heir apparent to the Blind Boys of Alabama with the magical music of Love Came Back, a celebration of rediscovery and renewal, to the muscular and sexy Start Me Up which will have the halter top darlings waving their hands over their heads, to the Barbary Coast and beer-mugged sailors singing in the dark, to pure Americana and a song of family and the circle of life in Best Year, to the soulful prayer of Love Enough riding on the soft-breaking waves of gorgeous piano chords, to finish wired and pumped and on the edge of old and new. It is what they call in the business a tour de force. Thanks for a great album, Jeff. Where have you been?

A LAWYER LENDS A HAND TO A FOREIGNER - BUT NOT THE WAY YOU'D THINK. What happens when a rocker collaborates with a balladeer? When Foreigner’s Jeff Jacobs struck up a friendship with Atlanta’s Doc “Legal Guitarist” Schneider, they decided to test the hypothesis that there would be a coherent intersection of their vastly different musical tastes and talents. Schneider, a hard-hitting trial lawyer during the day and relaxed, easy-going singer-songwriter otherwise, is known for having a style closer to James Taylor’s than to that of the band that pumped out “Feels Like The First Time,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Hot Blooded,” among other mega-hits. The result of this unlikely pairing is Jacobs’ first solo CD, “All Blue To Me,” for which Schneider wrote or co-wrote with Jacobs eleven of its 16 songs. And while Jacobs’ own title track is a old-fashioned, barn-burning, bluesy rocker, the real gems are found among those eleven. Take “Distant Light,” for example – with Jacobs’ gravely voice and potent fuzz-box guitar providing just the right texture for Schneider’s “where my future meets my past” lyric. “No Choice In The Matter” takes a darker turn, asking, “Hear my voice, listen well, don’t you remember me from hell?” Apparently so, since it must have been something very sinister that made an unnamed lady “trade her Porsche for an old Chevrolet.” (Not even Springsteen could make a woman do that.) The hypnotic organ in “Out On The Ledge” makes you wince at the pain of a guy who is just smart enough to realize that he blew it and has no second chance. “Sailor’s Dream” and “Best Year” both evoke poignant reminiscences of old loves, only one of which survives. But the standout on this CD is “Where The Bitter Grows,” a brilliantly written and performed song about conflict and hurt that sounds like it could well be Mary Chapin Carpenter’s next hit. Sometimes crazy combinations cancel out each other’s strong points; occasionally, like here, they reinforce them, producing surprisingly first-rate results. Be glad that Jacobs had the vision to take a chance on this one. All except Schneider’s clients, that is, because he’s on his way to a new day job.

Jeff Jacobs is the long time keyboard player for arena rockers Foreigner. If you're looking for a solo album by him that sounds like Foreigner junior, you'll be very surprised by this solo effort. But, if you're looking for a great blues album, then 'All Blue To Me' is your cup of tea. Jeff proceeds to tear through sixteen tracks that range from Chicago style blues to Delta blues. The man's vocals are excellent, and really add to the great strength of this CD and so is the song writing. The musicianship is also top notch. There's a lot of players on the album that I've never heard of, but they should all be proud of the high quality of music that this album provides. Stand out tracks on this CD include the blistering opening title track and the quirky "My Daddy's Soup." 'All Blue To Me' is an excellent album even if you're not really a blues fan. It's just plain and simple great music and well worth buying.