Lil ‘Ed & The Blues Imperials Jump Start Their Houserocking Blues

Alligator Records has just released the labels eighth album by Lil ‘Ed & The Blues Imperials, “Jump Start. Only Magic Slim and the Teardrops has a lengthier tenure of playing down classic Chicago blues and like Slim, Lil ‘Ed Williams benefits from having stability in his group. In fact, the present line-up of cousin James ‘Pookie’ Young on bass; Michael Garrett on second guitar and Kelly Littleton on drums has been together for nearly 25 years, since right before Ed’s second album, Chicken Gravy & Biscuits. This helps explain the tightness of the performances heard here.

Fans of Lil ‘Ed & the Blues Imperials will find little new on this collection of hard driving slide blues and Chicago shuffles. With the exception of a J.B. Hutto cover, Ed wrote or co-wrote the songs here. There is a mix of a slow, straight blues such as You Burnt Me, where after being left out on the street Ed asks why would he want her back, and the amusing slide-burner Born Loser, on which Ed sings about living on the edge and walk on the wild side but opportunity knocked and his door was locked, and murphy’s law is his motto. On the driving House of Cards, Ed tells his woman that she was living in a dream and the game has turned around and her house of cards is tumbling down after dealing Ed a bad hand with her dating another man.

Jump Right In, is an amusing song about this woman telling him to jump right in to the pool and she’ll teach him to swim and when he is ready for his swimming test she’ll take him to her deep end. Michael Garrett takes the solo on this. Marty Sammon’s organ adds atmospheric to Life Is A Journey, which he wants to share with his woman. Musical Mechanical Electrical Man musically channels uncle J.B. Hutto’s Please Help, as he tells his woman he will fix her up as he has a plan. Ed’s evokes his uncle further on his fervently performed cover of Hutto’s “If You Change Your Mind” with Sammon adding piano behind Ed’s passionate sining and driving slide guitar. It may be the stand-out performance on an album that is consistently entertaining and full of heartfelt blues.

Like the entire body of recordings by Lil ‘Ed and the Blues Imperials, Jump Start will get the party rocking with its good-time houserockin’ blues.

I received a review copy from Alligator Records. Here is Lil 'Ed & the Blues Imperials at the 1993 Pocono Blues Festival. I was at this show. Nearly two decades later they are still going strong.

Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials Go Full Tilt

One of the most popular blues bands anywhere is Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials who will be appearing at two of this summer’s top blues festivals this summer, the Pennsylvania Blues Festival and the North Atlantic Blues Festival (my previews of the festivals are linked). The review of the band’s Full Tilt appeared in the September 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 308). This is the last Alligator album they have released.


Blues fans should have no trouble enjoying the latest Alligator disk, Full Tilt, by Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials. The album, their eighth for Alligator is another hard-driving, rocking set of slide-guitar blues in the vein of Ed’s uncle J.B. Hutto and Hound Dog Taylor. Ed and The Blues Imperials—guitarist Mike Garrett, bassist James “Pookie” Young, drummer Kelly Littleton—are celebrating 20 amazing years together.

Full Tilt certainly describes how the band plays, starting from the driving Hold That Train that kicks this off. They hold nothing back on this collection of 11 originals from Ed, another by his bassist James Young, and interpretations of songs by Hound Dog Taylor and Smokey Robinson. Housekeeping Job is a nice funky tune with some saxophones added to the recording, while some rollicking piano can be heard on the hard rocking Don’t Call Me. Check My Baby’s Oil, is a slow blues reminiscent of some of J.B. Hutto’s tune with imaginative automotive-based double entendres, while Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, is a jaunty blues with a melody that evokes High Heel Sneakers.

Another striking original is Dying to Live, with some nice organ from Johnny Iguana behind Ed and his forceful vocals. Open Invitation is another easy rocking slide guitar blues, while the closing rendition of Hound Dog’s interpretation of Take Five, is a blistering close to another disc that can be easily be recommended to both Lil’ Ed’s many fans and anyone who likes solid slide guitar blues.

I received my review copy from Alligator Records.