The Jeff Healey Band: Live in Belgium

On tour in support of 1992's Feel This, Canadian blues-rocker Jeff Healey leads his band through a 13-song set in this 1993 engagement from Belgium's Peer Blues Festival. While there's nothing particularly adventurous about the Healey sound, he works well with band mates Joe Rockman (bass, backing vocals) and Tom Stephen (drums), joined for this gig by keyboard player Washington Savage and back-up singers Mischke Butler and Toucu. Although Healey uses a conventional guitar strap, he spends most of the show with his Fender Stratocaster attached to a stand—much like a Dobro or keyboard—or on his lap while seated. While his mellow vocals and plainspoken lyrics are serviceable, his real fame rests on his nimble playing—and there are plenty of solos for guitar aficionados to enjoy here, during "Heart of an Angel" and "See the Light," among others. Healey also plays material from 1990's Hell to Pay and the 1989 Patrick Swayze vehicle Road House, in which he performed the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" (this version starts out rocking, but loses some steam as it goes along). At times, Healey sounds like Gregg Allman, but his voice isn't quite as deep or soulful, and his limited range can be a liability on ballads, like the Tom Petty-penned "Lost in Your Eyes." Healey, who died in 2008, ends the concert with a version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that sounds a little more like the Rolling Stones (or Pink Floyd) than the Beatles. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, this DVD release also includes an accompanying CD. A strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)