For those unaware, An Acoustic Tribute To Cream features Ginger Baker, Cream lyricist the late Pete Brown, Free front man Paul Rodgers, Bernie Marsden, Joe Bonamassa, Bobby Rush, Malcolm Bruce (son of Jack Bruce), Debra Bonham, Maggie Bell and others.

For a band that only existed for two and a half years, the influence and fame of Cream seems to have only grown and grown over the decades.

One of the highlights of this project was the participation of Cream’s original drummer Ginger Baker.

It turned out, sadly, that these were the last recording sessions he ever did. Another big plus was getting the great Bobby Rush. The 85 year old blues/funk master verve and energy is spectacular.

Joe Bonamassa didn’t quite realize that we were all-acoustic, but plugged in for his slide work on Sunshine to great effect.

The powerful vocals of Deborah Bonham gracefully shook the walls of Abbey Road studios when she came in to lay down a couple of tracks. Her husband Peter Bullick also added to the mix, displaying his guitar finesse with great ease.

Maggie Bell’s performances were a welcome reminder that she is still one of the greatest British blues/ soul artists of our time. And multi- instrumentalist and singer Malcolm Bruce, who played on every track, did some magical work that his late father Jack would surely have been very proud of.

If all that wasn’t enough, the phenomenal voice of Paul Rodgers puts the sweetest icing on this fine collection of tracks with his unmistakable presence.

1. I Feel Free (feat: Deborah Bonham, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
2. White Room (feat: Pete Brown, Malcolm Bruce and Clem Clempson)
3. Theme For An Imaginary Western (feat: Pete Brown, Malcolm Bruce and Clem Clempson)
4. We’re Going Wrong (feat: Malcolm Bruce and Clem Clempson)
5. Sunshine Of Your Love (feat: Ginger Baker, Joe Bonamassa, Malcolm Bruce and Bernie Marsden)
6. Deserted Cities Of The Heart (feat: Joe Bonamassa, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
7. Sweet Wine (feat: Ginger Baker,Nathan James,Pee Wee Ellis,Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
8. Tales Of Brave Ulysses (feat:Ginger Baker, Nathan James, Pee Wee Ellis Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
9. Crossroads (feat: Ginger Baker, Bernie Marsden, Joe Bonamassa and Malcolm Bruce)
10. Take It Back (feat: Maggie Bell, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
11. Spoonful (feat: Bobby Rush, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
12. Sitting On Top Of The World (feat: Bobby Rush, Maggie Bell, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
13. Badge (feat: Deborah Bonham, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
14. Politician (feat: Pete Brown, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)
15. Born Under A Bad Sign (feat: Paul Rodgers, Bernie Marsden and Malcolm Bruce)

This quite astoundingly effective new recording opens on a free flowing White Room and a spirited White Room and then we are given the melodically warming Theme For An Imaginary Western, followed by the virtually ethereal We’re Going Wrong, and impassioned Sunshine Of Your Love, a rambunctious Deserted Cities Of The Heart, and then we get the foot tapper Sweet Wine.

Along next is the percussion-led Tales Of Brave Ulysses and the vibrant blues-rock of Take It Back (which hardly sounds acoustic to me), and then we get brought forth the strident, Maggie Bell sung Take It Back, the harmonica-driven Spoonful, the low slung blues of Sitting On Top Of The World, the album rounding out on the smooth rocker Badge, the rhythmic blues hipsway of Politician, closing on their laid bag, free wheeling rendition of Born Under A Bad Sign.

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