Booty Bumpin' is a joyous, down home set from blues guitarist Elvin Bishop and his six-piece band, recorded live on December 3, 2006 at Constable Jack's in California. Bishop is probably best known for the 1976 hit "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," and has maintained a loyal blues following since his early days as a member of the Butterfield Blues Band. On Bishop's second release for Blind Pig, he and his co-horts apply a good-natured heat to 12 tracks that stylistically shift between Chicago blues, Cajun, New Orleans R&B, and a hint of Southern rock, driven by the leader's raw slide guitar and keen sense of humor. Along with several Bishop originals are a few choice cover versions including Roy Milton's "Keep a Dollar in Your Pocket," Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's "I Feel Alright Again" and the Allen Toussaint composition "I'm Gone." Booty Bumpin' is definitely a timeless, no-nonsense party album. ~ Al Campbell
Music has the power to heal, to restore and empower, not only the artist but the listener as well. Lurrie Bell’s remarkable new album, Let’s Talk About Love, is proof positive of this.
In fact, with Let’s Talk About Love, the firebrand Chicago blues guitarslinger â€' whom the Boston Phoenix declared â€Ĺ"the most talented blues guitarist of his generation” â€' has released his most accomplished, deeply heartfelt album yet. Bell’s masterful creation, produced by longtime associate Matthew Skoller, is upbeat, warm, wise, and deeply inspiring, vividly displaying Bell’s unshakeable faith in the curative power of the blues. Let’s Talk About Love is a personal triumph for Bell, who has certainly experienced his share of adversity and come out, as his producer describes, â€Ĺ"without any bitterness or anger. Lurrie’s a quiet, sweet guy who takes refuge in his music â€' that’s how he survives.
” In 2007 alone, Bell lost two of the most-loved people in his life: his father, Chicago blues harmonica great Carey Bell; and Susan Greenberg, his partner and the mother of his toddler daughter, Aria (for whom he named his current music label, Aria B. G. Records). Bell had already triumphed over a debilitating bout of mental illness that stretched through much of the ’80s and ’90s, a period during which he’d even gone homeless for a time â€' a far cry from the stardom that authoritative publications including the New York Times and Rolling Stone had predicted for this scintillating second-generation bluesman.
In choosing the songs for Let’s Talk About Love, â€Ĺ"a theme started to emerge,” says producer Skoller. â€Ĺ"And that theme was love.
” Rather than selecting songs that would simply serve to vent his frustrations or bemoan his many travails, Bell chose music that was uplifting. â€Ĺ"These songs were an inspiration to me,” says Bell, â€Ĺ"because they relate to what’s happening now.
” Regarding the title track, â€Ĺ"Let’s Talk About Love” â€' penned by the late Ray Agee, a semi-obscure L.A.-based blues singer and songwriter â€' Bell notes,” When we started working on it, I hadn’t heard it before, but it became one of my favorite blues shuffles. It’s telling the truth about love, life and living, right now in 2007.
”As with the blues itself, this record covers the full range of emotional expression, guided by Lurrie’s probing, adventurous guitar. Bell’s searing six-string shards on Andrew Brown’s â€Ĺ"You Ought To Be Ashamed” and his looming, ominous work on Willie Dixon’s â€Ĺ"Earthquake and Hurricane” give way to the acoustic romp of â€Ĺ"Feeling Good,” by venerable Chicago bluesman J. B. Lenoir. Bell’s ferocious slide guitar adds a completely new dimension to the Little Richard classic, â€Ĺ"Directly From My Heart To You,” while the rollicking â€ĹLiving Blues (p.50) - "An Elvin Bishop show is an exercise in fun, light-hearted blues delivered with a wink. On BOOTY BUMPIN' Bishop conveys that same atmosphere and attitude to the listener."
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