The fact that a full-length, unheard Jimi Hendrix recording exists and is being released for the first time is all by itself a miraculous event equal to a resurrection.  And it's very interesting that the music comes from the revered Jimi Hendrix, the guitar genius that still has a very large following.

Valleys of Neptune is a bluesy work with the clear signature of Jimi Hendrix.  There is no mistaking what you have in your hands and in your player.  It has the stamp of the time period in which these unreleased tracks were recorded. Recorded in 1969 as a followup to Electric Ladyland, this album of 12 tracks, most are original compositions.  However, there are a few covers, a practice that Hendrix loved, that of being able to put his unique sound to well-loved songs.  Here, he electrifies Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," producing something far more energetic than the original Cream song.  There are no vocals but that doesn't change the strength of the jam track.  Hendrix explored the blues in a deeper manner with his cover of Elmore James' "Bleeding Heart." His take is extraordinary.

You'll be pleased with the music of Hendrix found on this "new" release.  Not only will it take you back decades, you'll get to answer the nagging "what-if" question: What if Hendrix hadn't died?  In my estimation, Valleys of Neptune, is a miracle.  The album ascends on many levels.  It's an hisorical listen to an evolutionary band, driven by the power and class of one of Rock's most famous guitarists.

The album is enhanced by it's booklet, which contains 24 pages of photos, an exhaustive in-depth essay of the recording of Valleys of Neptune, and track-by-track credits that leave nothing to the fevered imagination of a Hendrix-phile.

We always talk about the fact that our heroes no longer produce the music that we (the fans who grew up with Rock in the '60s) want to hear.  Now, along comes an album of songs from the long departed Hendrix and it's like a freakin' time machine.  We walked into a time warp unlike any that we've experienced musically in some time.  Valleys of Neptune is a legitimate Hendrix album although it may not be the finished product he intended.   It may not be your ideal Hendrix album, or you may find it slots next to Hendrix's studio works (when alive) just fine.  No matter your position, you have been given a gift.  Once again, you can be 16, 17, 18, 19, or whatever your age was during the Hendrix years.  And that is as valuable as getting a new Hendrix album.