Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jeff Bridges has always been a fabulous actor and a favorite of mine but when I heard that he was a full fledge professional musician and more than that, a guitarist who sings, I was just floored. I guess some of us are born blessed with several talents and it’s up to us to cultivate and use them as we were intended to.
It appears that Mr. Bridges is doing just that and he is an inspiration to me because at his age, he is going into a completely new avenue of entertainment. Granted, with his connections and his obvious success in the movies and theatre, he will have a much easier time getting in front of the right production company to produce and market an album/CD of his. On the other side, because of his success as an actor, he will be judged more critically than the typical musician trying to break into the industry. Either way, I am very inspired but what he is doing here and I hope it really is a big success.
I found this post this morning and I thought I’d share it with all of you and see how you feel about Jeff Bridges entering into the world of music.
Posted by Country Staff on Friday, Aug 5 6:15 PM
The list of actors who have released music is a long one: Bruce Willis, Scarlett Johansson, William Shatner, Billy Bob Thornton, Steven Seagal, Minnie Driver, and even Robert Downey Jr. come to mind, and we hear that Country Strong star/Chris Martin spouse Gwyneth Paltrow will likely be making an album soon. And while it may seem like a long shot for an actor to make a really good album, sometimes it’s worth paying attention just to see. Which brings us to today’s topic: After winning an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and many other awards for his utterly great portrayal of Otis “Bad” Blake in Crazy Heart, the one and only Jeff Bridges is releasing a new album. And it’s really, really good.
This shouldn’t be surprising, considering that there’s no doubt that his legitimate skill as a musician contributed greatly to the success of Crazy Heart; his singing figured prominently in the Grammy-winning T-Bone Burnett-produced soundtrack, and on his new record — not his first, by the way; he previously released the undeservedly forgotten Be Here Soon back in 2000 — Bridges explores some of the same territory. The tracks are typically quieter, a bit more introspective, and more musically adventurous than those in Crazy Heart, but there’s also a shared essence that is unmistakable (credit the always-lovely work of Burnett, who also produced this album). It’s a mix of self-penned songs and material from others including Tom Waits, and guest vocalists include Rosanne Cash and Sam Phillips. Importantly, Bridges’ motivation for again releasing music seems pure. He doesn’t appear to have grand ambitions for his music career; rather, he comes across as genuine and genuinely interested in what he’s expressing, with music just the means to that end. And that makes listening to the whole album a comfortable and very enjoyable experience.
Jeff Bridges is scheduled for release on Aug. 16 — and as it happens, Bridges will be in New York on that day celebrating his role as “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski at the 10th annual New York Lebowski Fest, which just makes us love him more. You can further explore the man and his music on his website, which (again, not surprisingly) is among the coolest we’ve seen.
I will be purchasing his CD on Tuesday for sure, just to support his efforts and of course to hear what his music is all about. I certainly hope it sounds good if you know what I mean. Have a great weekend and don’t forget to give your kids a big hug. I am very excited this weekend, my grandson Eli is visiting us; what a blessing he is to us.
Here he is, Elias Jude Janicki-Howe or Eli for short. He is our little angel and the joy of our life. So remember, our children are our future, hug them and show them that we love them and they will grow up to do wondrous things with their lives.
Until next time, keep playing your guitar and practicing your major scales; it’ll pay off in the long run.
Bob . . . . .
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