Lucky Peterson Tribute To Jimmy Smith

Lucky Peterson
Tribute To Jimmy Smith
Jazzbook Records

Lucky Peterson's passing left a significant hole for music lovers. I first met Lucky with his father, James Peterson, while I was in graduate school in Buffalo and did a blues program on WBFO. He was a prodigious talent then, and of course, he had a significant career working of Little Milton and Bobby Bland before setting forth on his own. Of course, he is best known as a bluesman, but he had considerable jazz chops, as displayed on this tribute to one of his main influences on the organ, the legendary Jimmy Smith.

On this date centered on Smith's music, Peterson is accompanied by guitarist Kelyn Crapp and drummer Herlin Riley. There are also guest appearances by Nicholas Fowler on trumpet, Archie Shepp on tenor sax and vocals, and Phillipe Petrucciani on guitar. Things start with strong renditions of a trio of tunes associated with Smith, Jimmy Forrest's "Night Train," Smith's "The Sermon," and Dizzy Gillespie's "The Champ." There is a collaboration with Archie Sheep, "Jimmy Wants to Groove," which is a musical mashup of various blues numbers. Shepp's booting tenor sax and singing meshes with Peterson's chicken fried playing. Riley maintains a relaxed shuffle groove here. Lucky's passionate singing on "Singing This Song 4 U," a reworking of Leon Russell's "A Song For You," follows. Crapp's nimble guitar backing is noteworthy on this track. With Riley laying down a light Caribbean groove, Crapp and Lucky sparkle on "Jimmy's Groove." The trio follows with an excellent rendition of "Misty," and Shepp's gutbucket tenor sax returns for a relaxed interpretation of "Back At the Chicken Shack."

Guitarist Petrucciani wrote and plays on "Blues For Wes," a tribute to the late guitar genius and the classic recordings Smith and Montgomery made. Montgomery's influence is evident in Petrucciani's fleet solo, followed by Peterson's mesmerizing B-3 solo. It is a superb close to an outstanding recording showcasing Peterson's command of the B-3 and his considerable jazz chops.

I purchased this. Here is Lucky Peterson performing a tribute to Jimmy Smith at a jazz festival.

Mitch Woods - Jammin' On The High C's

Mitch Woods is a real solid conveyor of boogie woogie piano and jump blues and for over a decade has been running Mitch Woods Club 88 on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues cruises. It started simple enough when as an invited guest on the cruise, he noticed the ship had a piano bar that wasn't being used, so he simply started playing and people came by to listen and musicians came by to sit in. Soon the jams were lasting until daybreak and someone put up a sign saying Mitch Woods' Club 88 which became the Club 88 Piano Bar and Blues Lounge n the cruise with now 4 piano players on every cruise alternating shifts from early evening to until ?.

Woods had a variety of performances from the January 2015 cruise recorded and they have just been issued on Club 88 Records (distributed by VizzTone), "Jammin' On The High C's" which is subtitled "Live From Mitch Woods' Club 88 on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise." Its a fun recording with his boogie and jump piano joined on different selections by members of Roomful of Blues, Julia Magness, Billy Branch, Victor Wainwright, Papa Chubby, Coco Montoya, Lucky Peterson, Tommy Castro and Dwayne Dopsie.

Mostly the music is renditions of well known blues standards played in an ebullient fashion with Woods handling the old Smiley Lewis classic "Big Mamou" to open it up. Highlights are Lucky Peterson singing Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights, Big City," Billy Branch reprising Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind," Papa Chubby handling "Wee Wee Hours," and Dwayne Dopsie joining on a rocking "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On." One also gets entertained by Tommy Castro singing Little Richard's "Rip It Up," and a nice "Rock Me Baby" from Coco Montoya.

My major criticism is the lack of fuller personnel information (although I might imagine it would be pretty lengthy), and more seriously the lack of composer credits. These performances are entertaining and fun if not classic and the sense of good times comes though on this nicely put together recording which includes Woods reciting the history of Club 88. Certainly one of aspects of the Cruise that makes it a consistent sell-out.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the September-October Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 362). Here Mitch previews this disc.

Lucky Peterson - I’m Back Again

 

Blues Boulevard’s new Lucky Peterson album I’m Back Again is a release of music from the excellent DVD/CD set on BlackbirdMusic/ Soulfood by The Lucky Peterson Band Featuring Tamara Peterson Live At The 55 Arts Club. The eleven performances on this release are available on the DVDs and the CDs of the earlier set, but are limited to those that featured Lucky and not the others which featured Tamara. Lucky’s backing band included Shawn Kellerman on guitar, Tim Waites on bass and Raul Valdes on drums. It is a hard-rocking, tight band that did a fine job supporting Lucky (heard on organ as well as guitar).

I wrote, reviewing the DVD/CD set, “The material ranges from Lucky’s reworking of blues classics such as You Shook Me, I’m Ready, and Who’s Been Talking, along with Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s Ta’ Ta’ You. He takes out the slide for Dust My Broom, while getting really greasy on the B-3 on I’m Back Again, as well as Rico McFarland’s Giving Me The Blues. Listening to these performances again, my views haven’t changed.

Those having Live At The 55 Arts Club, will have no reason to buy this fine reissue, but others may want to get this strong sampling of Lucky Peterson (and his excellent band) today.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Lucky performing Who’s Been Talking, although from a different performance.

Lucky Peterson Band Featuring Tamara Peterson Live At The 55 Arts Club

Lucky Peterson, if not for some personal issues, would be among the leading acts in the blues and funk world. Despite producing a number of albums for Verve/Gitanes and Blue Thumb that are amongst the finest contemporary blues (as opposed to blues-rock) recordings of the past couple decades, his star has not burned as brightly as his talent may have warranted in the United States. Reports are that he apparently has put his house in order with the help of his wife Tamara and busy performing again.

A real pleasant surprise is a new DVD set on BlackbirdMusic/ Soulfood by The Lucky Peterson Band Featuring Tamara Peterson Live At The 55 Arts Club. Recorded at the Berlin, Germany venue, this is a 3 DVD/ 2 CD package with 2 DVDs capturing Lucky’s 2 full sets with Tamara joining midway through the performances with a third DVD providing guitarist Shawn Kellerman’s opening numbers for the two sets along with some behind the scenes of Lucky and band, a brief clip of a rehearsal of a number and an interview with Lucky and Tamara. The music of the 2 DVDs of Lucky and Tamara in performance is also on the two CDs in this set.

Lucky’s Band includes the afore-mentioned Shawn Kellerman on guitar, Tim Waites on bass and Raul Valdes on drums. Its a hard-rocking, tight band which does a terrific job and backing Lucky and Tamara, with Lucky playing both the Hammond B-3 and some guitar, while Kellerman when featured on guitar adding his own blistering attack. Lucky is in good voice and his wife Tamara (who went to High School in Houston with Roy Hargrove, Erykah Badu and Norah Jones) is a terrific singer. 

The material ranges from Lucky’s reworking of blues classics such as You Shook Me, I’m Ready, and Who’s Been Talking, along with Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s Ta’ Ta’ You. He takes out the slide for Dust My Broom, while getting really greasy on the B-3 on I’m Back Again, as well as Rico McFarland’s Giving Me The Blues. Tamara shows how expressive a singer she is on the cover of Prince’s Kiss, along with originals like I Don’t Like You But I Love You, and Last Night You Left. She is a powerful, yet nuanced singer who certainly complements Lucky. 

I found the video well done and capturing the performing personalities of Lucky and his band quite well. I was amused to see how fierce Kellerman appears backing Lucky as I knew the Canadian Kellerman when he was playing with harmonica player, Jordan Patterson in the Washington DC area in the nineties. He has spent time with Bobby Rush as well and his fiery playing may be on the rock vein at times, but he never gets boring or overbearing. 

In the bonus CD Lucky talks about how he thinks that this particular group may be the one to take him to the next level. Based on the performances here on Live At The 55 Arts Club, and given the stability that Tamara and their faith have apparently given him, one should not be surprised if he doesn’t take it to the next level. There is some terrific music to be seen and heard here.

My review copy was received from a publicist. Lucky is appearing at the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival near Annapolis MD in May.  It was on the strength of this Live DVD/CD package that I decided to attend this festival so I could see him.  Here is a little clip that was posted on youtube to promote Live At The 55 Arts Club.

Tommy McCoy Lays His Demons Down

An Ohio native, but living in Florida since 1967, Tommy McCoy has been playing blues ever since. In 1986, journeying to San Francisco and recorded his first project with Mark Hummel. He toured with Johnny Thunder, played in a band with three former Allman Brothers and then did a session in Austin with the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section. A couple years later he entered Kingsnake Studios with a studio band that included Lucky Peterson and recorded Lay My Demons Down, which led to touring the UK as well as a tour of Norway with the late Florida bluesman Rock Bottom.

Blues Boulevard has reissued Lay My Demons Down, co-credited to Lucky Peterson, whose organ helps anchor and spark the performances. Included are 15 performances that are pretty straight-forward efforts. Most tunes are originals such as the rocking Blues Thing, with his recitation of various blues artists and grooving with a feeling playing the fender in a bar with sawdust on the floor as well as the slow Bitter Soul to Heal, a nice slow tune with a bit of a Boz Scaggs feel. He picks acoustic guitar for several tracks including the They Killed That Man, with its narrative of taking a life without a reason why. The title track has him talking about drinking, smoking and staying up all night doing things that ain’t right but things are wrong unless he lays his demons down and changes the life he is living. Its a nice lyric that is well played. He provides his own arrangement of Jimmy Rogers’ Ludella, giving it a funk groove while adding a shuffle beat to Robert Nighthawk’s Bricks in My Pillow, with some broomdusting lap slide from Laptop Randy. He adds an insistent beat to Tampa Red’s Crying Won’t Help You.

Musically this is a solid effort. Tommy Mccoy is a good songwriter, an able singer and a solid guitarist, and receiving solid backing throughout produced an engaging disc that maybe will garner attention from those who missed it the first time around.

My review copy was either provided by Jazz & Blues Report or Blues Boulebard. It was written for Jazz & Blues Report, but I am not sure if it was ever published. Here are videos of him performing.

Alligator Records Is Now 40, Looking Back When It Was 20

While Alligator is celebrating its 40th Anniversary, MVD Visual has issued Blues and the Alligator: The First Twenty Years of Alligator Records, making available Jim Downing’s film from 1990 that has been issued by Gazell Film. The documentary is a mix of performance clips and interviews that serve to provide an overview of what led Bruce Iglauer to start his label and how it grew to become one of the most important (if not the most) labels producing new blues music.

The film opens with Lonnie Brooks in the studio recording with his band and Bruce in the control room discussing levels and such with the engineer before we start getting Bruce talking about his background and how Alligator got started. We see him at the studio as well as in his office having a business meeting with staff. The performance clips include a number of gems including a small excerpt of a band on Maxwell Street playing You Don’t Love Me, a fuzzy black & white film of Hound Dog Taylor followed by a live club shot of Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials.

Kenny Neal & Billy Branch’s duo album was contemporaneous with this film and a back porch performance by the two of Devil Child is followed by the two talking. We then are taken to a public school where Billy Branch conducting a “Blues in the School” program with the kids singing and playing Stormy Monday, and then starting Jimmy Reed’s Baby What You Want Me To Do, before we are taken to a clip of Kenny Neal and Lucky Peterson handling this.

No question that through Alligator and her recordings for them, Koko Taylor became internationally known as the Queen of the Blues” and was able to enjoy a recording career as opposed to housework. Recognition of her stature is reflected by showing her sing the Star Spangled Banner at Comiskey Park before Bruce and then her discuss how life has indeed changed. This is followed by her with Lonnie Brooks doing a strong Its a Dirty Job.

Bruce talks about how the blues has changed and ironically how Alligator has taken its artists from its roots playing in the community as they seek bigger pay checks and a bigger audience. As a result, the blues as they perform it has changed. Magic Sam’s recording of Sweet Home Chicago segues into a hot live rendition by Brooks that takes this film to its close. It is a nice end to what certainly is an intriguing look back at Alligator. BTW, it is about time Robert Mugge’s film on Alligator, Pride and Joy, made it to DVD.

I received a review copy from the label.

Portrait of A Young Mississippi Bluesman

A strong album from the delta area is the Rooster Blues debut album of Lonnie Shields, Portrait. Born in West Helena, Arkansas, Lonnie Shields’ career started in church and also playing guitar as a teenager. In high school he played in a band that did a fair amount of Al Green songs. Later he developed friendships with drummer Sam Carr and Frank Frost. Lonnie’s blues is rooted in the soul-blues as represented by the late Z.Z. Hill, Bobby Bland, B.B. King, Little Milton, Johnnie Taylor and Tyrone Davis.


Portrait has been several years in making and finds Lonnie backed by several different sets of musicians. Supporting musicians include Sam Carr, Frank Frost, Lucky Peterson, Eddie Shaw, and Eddie ‘Vaan’ Shaw who play in different groupings of musicians. The opening Fistful of Dollars (which is never enough, of course) has added percussion which imparts some of the rhythmic flavor of a delta fife and drum band. The titles with Lucky Peterson on rhythm guitar, and horn players Anthony Royal and Dennis Bates (then with Al Green, but also from Lonnie’s high school band) are excellent modern soul-blues and Lonnie really delivers this groove.


The lyrics cover the spectrum of blues themes from lost love, cheating lovers, and hard times, and Lonnie invests his performances with feeling and heart. Strong backings help these recordings rise above more commercially successful soul-blues recordings. I was impressed by Eddie Shaw’s saxophone work on Eight Days a Week and My Baby Left Me. His playing here shows he can play more with more imagination and finesse than the limited raspy sax heard on his own recordings suggests.


A real fine effort.

Portrait was Lonnie’s debut album and this review appeared in slightly different form in the June 1993 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 182). I likely received a review copy from Rooster Blues Records. I have had the pleasure of seeing Lonnie a number of times over the years and he is such a nice person. Fistful of Dollars is often his opening style, and illustrates his hard, percussive style which cause him to break more than one guitar string.

James Peterson 1937-2010

James Peterson, whose career as a blues performer and a club owner spanned over 5 decades, passed away at the age of 73 on December 12, 2010. Born in Russell County, Alabama, I met James in Buffalo in 1976 where he was performing on Main Street at a club called the Sunset Inn. James had returned to the Buffalo area from Florida where he had moved for a couple years.  James had, before I first met him, owned  The Governor's Inn where he played regularly featuring his very young son Lucky on keyboards. The Governor's Inn also brought in some of the biggest names in the blues including Howlin' Wolf (and another time Wolf's band), Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Muddy Waters, Johnny Lee Hooker and too many more. When Lucky was like 5 or 6, Willie Dixon recorded him doing "1-2-3-4" and the father and son appeared on The Tonight Show.  A couple years later, James and Lucky recorded an album, "The Father, The Son, and the Blues."

I remember walking into the Sunset Inn on Main Street, not far from downtown Buffalo in 1976, and was floored by James' blues. Lucky, then 13, was on keyboards as James sang and played guitar on a range of material from Muddy, B.B. and others, but lending his own stamp. Lucky only played that first set as he had to go to bed, but listening to James sing "Cummins Prison Farm," calling out to the patrons and they responding was something to see. It was similar to how B.B. King and his audience fed off each other at the Regal Theatre, if on a smaller scale.

I met him at the break and we became friends. I was doing a blues program on WBFO-FM and had James and Lucky come in to perform at the Station during a fundraiser as well as a live radio remote broadcast from the original Tralfamadore Cafe in Buffalo. Watching James perform was always a wonderful time. He was a steady, if unspectacular guitarist, but his vocals and his ability to interact with his audience is something rare among blues performers thirty years later. Peterson's vocals were similar to those of blues legend, Johnny Copeland. In Fall, 1977, he opened the New Governor's Inn in Buffalo which he operated for a few more years there, returned south to Florida near Tampa.

Lucky in the subsequent years became established as a band leader with Bobby Bland and then Little Milton, before commencing his own solo career. James continued to perform, and more importantly started recording for several labels including a couple of memorable albums for Malaco's Waldoxy subsidiary. Don't Let the Devil Ride and Preachin' the Blues. These releases led him to tour extensively and play a number of festivals. I remember the opening of his set at the Pocono Blues Festival as riding down on a ski lift, he was playing and singing through radio microphones.

His last recording may have been the 2004 JSP release, If You Can't Fix It, that was billed as by James & Lucky Peterson, but on which James handled all of the vocals, while his multi-talented son played a variety of instruments in support. This showed he remained a strong, powerful singer. I was fortunate to have known him and found him to be every bit as nice and gracious a person as he was an outstanding blues performer.

Condolences go to his son, Lucky and Lucky's family.

For more on James:
PW Fenton on his website, bluesland.net posted a memory of James along with a cool picture of him.

Lucky Peterson Made the Right Moves

A little over a couple weeks ago (October 14), I posted about Lucky Peterson’s latest CD, “You Can Always Turn Around,” and stated that I thought his Verve-Gitanes recordings were amongst the best of the 1990s. Recently I was able to locate my review of his CD, Move, that appeared in the April 1998 Jazz & Blues Report (No. 230) which provides my reaction to that recording when it was issued along with comments on the previous “Lifetime” CD. Here it is for your edification.

Lucky Peterson certainly has matured since being a child prodigy. Having first recorded when he was five, and playing with his father James as he grew up, Lucky has emerged as one of the most important talents in the blues world. A superb keyboard player, Lucky is also a guitarist of considerable ability and one of the blues most underrated singers.

When so much of ‘contemporary’ blues is nothing more than rehashed rock-oriented blues rock, Lucky brings to his music strong soul and funk seasoning. His previous album, Lifetime, was one of the best records of the past few years with terrific remakes of Earth Wind and Fire’s Shining Star, and Sam Cooke’s Change is Gonna Come, along with Bad Condition, one of the finest blues set to a reggae groove. At a time when the latest teenage guitar phenom is heralded by some ‘as the music’s future, Lifetime has never gotten its due as among the most forward looking blues albums of the nineties.


Lucky’s newest album, Move, continues with a similar musical synthesis, although with stripped down backing of Butch Bonner’s rhythm guitar, ex-Iceman Johnny B. Gayden on bass, and Dennis Chambers on drums. There are new blues like the title track and the opening You’re the One For Me, and a cover of Robert Cray’s Don’t You Ever Care, that Lucky sings with considerable heat. Lucky also tackles the old Ashford and Simpson classic that Ray Charles made famous, Let’s Go Get Stoned, the Isley Brother’s classic It’s Your Thing, and Prince’s Purple Rain, providing a fertile musical stew. An instrumental, Pickin’ , shows his appreciation to Albert Collins, yet never lapses into imitation, and he takes Tin Pan Alley and provides a strong vocal to go along with his guitar playing. He has absorbed much from Hendrix, Prince, the various Kings and Albert Collins, and others, yet plays with a clarity and articulation in his solos that some of the emerging players in blues today might take a lesson from. Move is another reason Lucky Peterson is among the most important blues artists today.

Rereading these words, it is sort of bittersweet, since Lucky had the chance to establish himself as one of the premier touring artists. Unfortunately for a variety of reasons, this did not happen. Even if I do not find his newest recording to be on the level of Lifetime and Move, here’s hoping with his demons behind him he can bring the same mojo to his performances that made this recordings so compelling. One may have to shop around to find CD copies, either new or used. The music on these is available as downloads.


I do not recall if I received review copies or whether I purchased one or both.

Lucky Peterson Roots ComeBack Should Have Been Funkier!

This writer was living in Buffalo and doing a blues show on the University of Buffalo’s station WBFO, at the time I first saw and heard Lucky Peterson. He was playing keyboards behind his father, James Peterson, at a club on Main Street near downtown Buffalo. He was a teenager then, not the pre-teen that had appeared on the Tonight Show and recorded singles and an album. His talent was evident every time I heard him as part of his father’s band, including a couple of performances that were fundraisers for the station. One could not help but be impressed by his musicianship. I remember his dad telling me Lucky had perfect pitch. In the years since I left Buffalo I would hear about James and Lucky. Lucky had a break as he played in the bands of Bobby Bland and Little Milton, touring with them overseas and playing on their recordings, before recording for KingSnake I believe, and then he had an album on Alligator that was produced by KingSnake I believe. He continued to perform and over the years he was one of the artists that signed to Verve-Gitanes where he produced three of the finest blues recordings of recent years mixing in funk and classic soul with straight blues. Also on Verve, he accompanied the great Mavis Staples on a great album devoted to the music of Mahalia Jackson. Then he had a disc on Dreyfus that continued in the same vein as his Verve albums. Since then, he has also recorded for small independent labels like JSP, and also had publicized personal issues including substance abuse. Reportedly (and thankfully), he has placed these demons behind him.

Dreyfus Records has just issued Lucky’s latest album, “You Can Always Turn Around,” and the title and some of the songs have a reflective side as they deal with struggle and change. This recording was produced in the Catskills with some of the Woodstock musicians including Larry Campbell, Scott Petito and Gary Burke and the flavor is quite different from Lucky’s prior recordings. “Dust My Broom,” opens and if Lucky, who is playing a dobro here, sings forcefully (although a little over the top at times) it is hardly an original performance and the version of Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues,” which seems like an unplugged adaptation of the Allman Brothers recording which itself was derived from Taj Mahal’s recording on his eponymously titled disc over forty years ago. Its hard to get excited with these covers. The cover of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” strikes this listener as a much stronger performance.

Bill Callahan’s “I’m New Here” has a lyric about being new around town but musically its far from the blues and a bit more gentle vocal, spoken at times on a folky-sounding tune. “Trouble,” penned by Ray LaMontagne, has some really nice piano by Peterson as he sings about trouble been bothering his soul since the day he was born, worry not leave his mind alone until he was saved by a woman. The sparse backing helps his vocal stand out here. “Trampled Rose,” was co-written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, opens with Lucky sounding like someone calling believers to prayers and while the lyrics touch on themes of hurt and hurting others, it comes off off-kilter to these ears. Lucky picks up the electric guitar and with heavy fuzztone and a bit over-the-top singing for Lucinda Williams’ “Atonement,” that strikes this listener as pretentious. While he switches to steel guitar (dobro), the rendition of the late Bobby Charles’ “Why Are People Like That,” also sounds too forced. “Four Little Boys,” is a bit more low-key and this song he wrote his his father James, with the “Forty Four Blues” riff incorporated in its melody is a more appealing performance. The outstanding track here is the wonderful rendition of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free,” where there is a wonderful duet with Lucky’s wife, Tamara. His piano shines on this track as well and they do justice to this number that is identified with the great Nina Simone. Curtis Mayfield’s “Think” closes this album with steel guitar and acoustic slide giving this instrumental a country flavor.

“You Can Always Turn Around” certainly represents a change from Lucky Peterson from prior recordings, and not necessarily for the better here. Not that the performances are terrible, but few of the performances are distinctive and stand out in the fashion of Peterson’s earlier recordings that were more grounded in soul and funk. And while some have suggested this album showcases Lucky’s singing, one might suggest these really haven’t listened to Lucky’s earlier recordings because he always has shown himself to be an excellent vocalist. Still, it is nice to have a new Lucky Peterson recording available, even if it is not among his best work.


The advance review copy was sent by the firm handling publicity for this release.

Kenny Neal is "Hooked On Your Love"

With his health issues apparently (and thankfully) behind him, Kenny Neal has a new Blind Pig release, “Hooked On Your Love,” that is certain to please his existing fans and garner him some new ones. The twelve performances find him with his brothers and friends like Vasti Jackson and Lucky Peterson as Kenny’s immediate recognizable vocals and guitar brings warmth and good times to the listener. Easy swinging grooves are mixed with his own laconic approach that goes down like a smooth scotch.

Neal’s restrained approach that works with the opening title cut that celebrates of his love and the philosophical “Bitter With the Sweet,” when he sings about life not always champagne and rose, have to take the bitter with the sweet.” “Down in the Swamp,” reminds me of some of Tony joe White’s numbers as Kenny sings about being the bayou where the alligators play and plays some nice harmonica (oddly uncredited in the personnel listing. For some reason, Kenny is credited with composing the old OV Wright classic “Blind, Crippled & Crazy,” and obviously Kenny can’t match Wight’s gospel rooted soul shouting, but he does deliver a nicely paced performance with effective use here, as elsewhere on this, of backing vocals. Also the solo here is a fine example of how marvelous paced Kenny is as a player. Just like his vocals, he never rushes the notes. Its followed by another cover, this time of Little Milton’s hit “If Walls Could Talk,” an ironic lyric that Kenny ably handles.

“Things Gotta Change” is a soulful ballad with a message about a baby not having shoes on her feet, got to pray for a helping hand, and the need love one another but the backing may be a bit too smooth. The backing provided on William Bell’s “New Lease on Life,” is more emphatic which suits Kenny’s vocal here. Kenny’s rendition of “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do,” isn’t far removed from Bobby Bland’s original recording and Kenny’s can’t emulate Bland’s leaps and cries, but he conveys a suitable legacy. “Old Friends” is a nice swamp-pop number with lazy harp and a country-ish feel, while horns and a second-line groove provide “Voodoo Mama,” with a livelier flavor as Kenny plays some nice slide (I presume on lap steel guitar).

The CD closes on a nice shuffle “You Don’t Love Me,” where Kenny plays guitar and harmonica as he tells his baby to get on her merry way. Its a solid way to conclude this very solid collection of performances that touches a variety of musical bases but always showcasing Kenny Neal’s distinctive style of blues.



The review copy was provided by Blind Pig Records

Joe Louis Walker Was and Is a Blues Survivor

Going back through the archives at the Jazz & Blues Report I came across my review of Joe Louis Walker’s Blues Survivor that was on Verve/Gitanes. In light of my review of his just issued Blues Conspiracy, I thought it would be useful to look back 16 years to a review that appeared in the January/February 1994 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 188).


Joe Louis Walker’s first studio album in several years, Blues Survivor, is also his first for Verve, and it will hopefully provide him with recognition outside of the world of blues aficionados. Produced by Walker and John Snyder, this superb effort incorporates variety of musical sources for a thoroughly modern, yet tradition rooted, album of blues. Those familiar with Walker’s prior recordings won’t be surprised by his performances here, but will recognize how he has continued to hone his singing and guitar playing. His performances are thoughtful, and passionate, with a razor’s edge attack, displaying the ‘relaxed intensity’ that marks blues. With the exception of a great remake of Howlin’ Wolf’s Shake For Me (where he uses the Electric Flag’s arrangement for Killing Floor), Sarah Brown‘s Bad Thing, and Patrick Norris’ Put You Down Baby, the songs are originals by Walker or his long-time bassist, Henry Oden. The opening Help Yourself is a gospel-tinged number with an upbeat message and some well-played slide, with Lucky Peterson on organ and the Singing Corinthians (a gospel group Walker once was a member of) adding vocal backing.Walker’s Rainy Nights has a nice lyric set against the Ramblin’ on My Mind/Dust My Broom melodic motif, but taken at relaxed trotting tempo, and featuring an excellent slide solo with Walker sounding like Elmore James crossed with Robert Nighthawk. Henry Oden’s My Dignity, another outstanding performance, has melodic echoes of the jazz standard Walking and the Bobby Bland hit Ain’t Doing Too Bad and sports a great tenor sax solo by Richard Howell in addition to Walker’s tough vocal. These are high points on a terrific album full of top-notch performances. Blues Survivor shows Joe Louis Walker to be more than a survivor. He is equally adept as a writer, vocalist and guitarist, and one of the most compelling voices in the blues today.


16 years later, the last sentence of the review still holds true. I would say that Blues Survivor likely will be on any list of Joe Louis Walker’s best recordings. Given how good his recordings are, that says a lot. It appears Blues Survivor may be out of print but there are sellers on amazon that have new and used copies that you can check out (or you try ebay). Neither amazon nor itunes has this available for download.