Stream Jeff Beck's Emotion & Commotion and Bask in its Magnificent Album Art

By Michael Lopez Mon., Apr. 5 2010 at 11:47 AM

Categories: CD Preview

This is the second time I have been able to use this album cover as the image for one of my posts...sweet!

It's well-documented that a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Baja California yesterday afternoon. People in Phoenix are feeling some mild shaking, and the quake may be a factor, but methinks it was also caused in part by an album stream of Jeff Beck's latest album, Emotion & Commotion, being made available at NPR's Exclusive First Listen around the same time.

The former Yardbird's latest effort has what many (read: me) consider to be the best album art of 2010, and while the art leaked months ago, Beck's music is finally here to rock our faces off. I say "rock our faces off" because of that album art. Jeff Beck, however, does have the talent to pair such amazing art with some equally incredible rock music.

Emotion & Commotion is due out next Tuesday, 4/13, yet the album leaked 2 weeks ago -- hardly a surprise for a big label (Rhino) release like this. Emotion is Beck's first album since 2003's appropriately-titled Jeff and features a guest vocal from Joss Stone, who also happens to be English. Emotion was recorded at London's Sarm Studios with award-winning producers Steve Lipson (Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, Jordin Sparks) and Trevor Horn (the dorky lead singer from The Buggles).

Despite the soaring Eagle on the cover, Emotion & Commotion is most certainly a British album. That is to be expected from a Brit guitarist working with a Brit singer and two Brit producers. Either way, it is sure to be a grandiose rock album (it better be with that album art) from one of rock's most established guitar virtuosos.

Album stream: Jeff Beck -- Emotion & Commotion via NPR.org.