Jeff Beck’s Triumphant Return

Guitar god and ex-Yardbird Jeff Beck triumphantly returns with an ace record that reflects the tumultuous times in which we live. Kicking the disc off with the fuzzed-out, bluesy jam “The Revolution Will Be Televised,” Beck signals his intentions while simultaneously tipping his hat to the late, great Gil Scott-Heron as well as everyday people demanding equal rights and justice. Rosie Bones provides sultry vocals on Beck’s riff-tastic, humanist anthem “Live in the Dark” and keeps pumping heat throughout the album. Other boss tunes include the whammy, pitch-bending “Right Now,” the woeful “Scared for the Children,” the soulful “Shame,” and the down ’n’ dirty “Thugs Club” — which calls out Bush, Cheney, Murdoch, and Fox News for bringing us the mess that is contemporary reality. (Jeff Beck plays Chumash Casino Resort Thursday, August 11.)