Do I like the new album From Hendrix?

A new Hendrix album People, Hell And Angels has just been released, including a vinyl option (which is cool).

The entire album is currently being hosted by NPR, so if you want to give it a listen, check it out there.

Okay, I'm going to be real honest here - I am not a Hendrix fan. I consider his work "okay" at best. Not groundbreaking. Not incredible. And certainly not perfect. Just "okay".

I am one of those guitar players that believes Hendrix's work wasn't anything life-changing. Why? Because when I hear it, I hear 1960s psychedelic rock combined with some 1970s jazz/funk, but mostly 1960s guitar tone. I also hear his guitar being out of tune a lot (even in the studio recordings) and also hear tons of mistakes.

I have seriously tried to like Hendrix's music. But I can't. It just doesn't do anything for me and never did.

It's interesting to note that while that the album Electric Ladyland did go #1 in the US, absolutely none of his singles ever charted high.

Only one song, All Along The Watchtower, charted decently and peaked at #20 in the US. After that, the next-best was Crosstown Traffic which peaked at #52. Nothing after that charted well. For example, Hey Joe and The Wind Cries Mary didn't even chart at all in the US.

Hendrix's peak popularity was always in the UK and that's where he had his most top 10 hit singles (five of them). But never once did he have a top 10 single in the US. A #1 album, yes, but never a single. And the singles are what matter most.

Like I said, Hendrix to me is just okay. Meh.

Published 2013 Mar 5