B.B. King
Blues on the Bayou
MCA,(MCAD-11879)
Let's get straight to the
point. This is the best album B.B. King has recorded in 25 years or more, it is one of the
best new blues albums of 1998, and is an essential purchase for anyone even moderately
interested in blues. The reasons for this success are simple. There is no outside
producer, arranger, or record company bean counter telling B.B. how to make this into a
hit. There are no special guests. For the first time in his career, B.B. was completely in
charge of his own recording session. He used his own road band and recorded live with no
overdubs in a Louisiana studio (hence "the Bayou"). To say it works would be the
epitome of understatement. What we get is the pure sound of B.B. King, undiluted,
unsweetened, and as real as it gets. The CD starts off with one of the most beautiful slow
blues instrumentals you will ever hear, "Blues Boys Tune." B.B. has been
featuring this song in his live show for several years but this is the first time it has
been recorded. If anyone ever asks the definition of "feeling" in the blues,
that song could be answer. "I'll Survive" is B.B.'s personal favorite on the
disc, a song he first recorded over 40 years ago, now with added personal meaning after
his long career. "If That Ain't It, I Quit" is another nice instrumental, more
uptempo, and you can almost imagine B.B. and "Lucille" up and dancing as this
one was being played. A total of 15 tracks and a generous 64 minutes. Every track is a
winner. Don't just go out and buy one of these for yourself. Buy a bunch of them and pass
them out as Christmas presents to everyone you know. This is the way B.B. should be
recording but only heavy sales will insure he'll be in charge of his next project.
Otherwise look out for more dreaded "special guests" like Hanson and The Spice
Girls!
- Don O. -
Southwest Blues CD Review - December 1998
Current Reviews - 1998 Reviews - available at our store
