Jimmy Burns It Ain't Right

 

The new Jimmy Burns recording, "It Ain't Right" (Delmark Records),  is his fifth album for the label dating back to 1997. He has not exactly been over-recorded, so a new release by him  should be welcome. The younger brother of Detroit blues legend, Eddie Burns, Jimmy has an extensive vocal group and soul background, although he also has deep Mississippi rooted blues roots as was displayed on his album "Leaving Here Walking" Jimmy is backed by his working band Anthony Palmer, guitar; Greg McDaniel, bass: Bryant "T" Parker, drums; with support from Sumito "Ariyo" Ariyoshi, piano; Roosevelt Purifoy, organ; and a full horn section. With the exception of two originals from Billy Flynn, the album is comprised mostly of covers including a couple of Percy Mayfield songs and one by his late brother, Eddie. Dick Shurman produced this recording in February of 2015.

The opening track by Flynn, "Big Money Problem" is a track that evokes some of the best Mississippi rooted performances from Burns' prior recordings and is followed by Flynn's lovely R&B ballad "Will I Ever Find Somebody?" showing off his soulful singing with a notable piano solos and effective horns. The backing to "Snaggletooth Mule," a nice hoodoo blues, may sound familiar to Johnny Copeland fans.  On a rendition of Percy Mayfield's "Long As You're Mine," the horn riffs lend an unwelcome frenzied sense to the performance. The treatment of Mayfield's "My Heart Is Hangin' Heavy," is more straightforward and, to these ears, more satisfactory. There is a solid rendition of The 5 Royales "Crazy, Crazy, Crazy," a performance that harkens back to his vocal group days.

Eddie Burns' "Hard Hearted Woman" is a crisp, easy rocking shuffle, and Jimmy plays nice down-home harmonica on a fresh reworking of Jimmy Reed's "A String To Your Heart," with a nice loping groove. Also heard is surprising, enjoyable cover of Goree Carter's "Rock Awhile," if a bit laid back compared to Carter's jump blues original. A cover "Stand By Me" has a nice vocal and some nifty guitar, but otherwise did not leave much of an impression. "Surrounded" is a nicely paced shuffle with a terrific baritone sax solo from Aaron Getsug and nice guitar break. Burns places his own stamp on Little Walter's "It Ain't Right," with rollicking piano and a clever guitar line in the accompaniment, while a fresh funk arrangement enlivens his interpretation of the Junior Wells classic, "Messin' With the Kid."

The album closes with a Burns leading a gospel quartet styled rendition of "Wade in the Water," with a nice lead vocal. Jimmy Burns "It Ain't Right," displays his considerable talents over a variety of blues, R&B and gospel. Perhaps it has a couple of musical miscues, but overall this is a welcome addition to his very distinctive body of recordings.

I received my review copy from Delmark. Here is Jimmy performing "Leaving Here Walking."

With Eddie Taylor Jr, Blues Runs In The Family

A second generation bluesman of note is Eddie Taylor, Jr. One of several children of the late Eddie Taylor, best known as Jimmy Reed’s guitarist, but also an unheralded and under appreciated Chicago blues artist on his own whose music never lost its delta roots. Eddie Jr. has a new CD on the Austrian Wolf label, I Got To Make This Money, Baby. On this his brother Tim handles the drums and sister Demetria (who recently released a well received album on Delmark) sings one song while Harmonica Hinds is present with Greg McDaniel on bass and Anthony Palmer on second guitar.

Its a pretty straight Chicago blues album with Taylor performing several songs in homage of his father, other classic Chicago blues numbers and others in this style. On the opening title track, there is an opening quote of Lester Leaps In, before Taylor and the band launch into a Shake Your Moneymaker groove and sings about playing his guitar and playing the blues. This selection has him playing some nice controlled slide in the vein of Elmore James mixed with Homesick James. Hinds wails in support in support on harmonica here. Echoes of his father’s “Bad Boy,” as well as the lazy Jimmy Reed shuffle groove, are heard in his loving Salute to Eddie Taylor. Hinds is particularly outstanding on this track. 

There is a nice mix of songs including his father’s Train Fare Home, John Lee Williamson’s My Little Machine (from Jimmy Rogers rendition), and a slowed down rendition of Tommy McClennan’s Whisky Headed Woman. There are also a few other originals like his salute to the late bass player and vocalist, Goodbye Willie Kent,” where he notes Willie was a blues solider, a blues soldier going home.” Sister Demetria handles Ruth Brown’s big fifties smash, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean, with the band providing solid support and an arrangement that does not slavishly copy the original. Similarly the interpretation of Rosco Gordon’s Just a Little Bit, makes that number a walking Chicago shuffle.

This isn’t the first record by Eddie Taylor, Jr. I heard. His earlier recordings had me wanting more and I purchased this. This is a solid, traditionally oriented blues recording. He sings from the heart and plays the old school style of Chicago blues guitar that fewer and fewer still play.

Here is a video of Eddie Taylor Jr, performing Jimmy Rogers' "You're the One."