BLUES SINGER won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
Going beyond the stripped-down arrangements of 2001's SWEET TEA, Buddy Guy picks up an acoustic guitar to cut a record that comes across as an off-the-cuff homage to mentor Muddy Waters, whose similar 1963 outing FOLK SINGER featured Guy's guitar work. From the minute this Mississippi native affects a falsetto on Skip James's "Hard Time Killing Floor," neck hairs remain standing on end for the better part of BLUES SINGER.
The remainder of these dozen carefully selected tracks find the blues legend rifling through the canons of favorites like Robert Nighthawk (a loping "Anna Lee"), Willie Dixon (the brash "I Live the Life I Love"), and Johnny Shines (a spirited "Moanin' and Groanin'"). Eric Clapton joins in for a tasty take on Frankie Sims' "Lucy Mae Blues" and B.B. King makes three for an acoustic blues summit on John Lee Hooker's seminal "Crawlin' Kingsnake." Though far from the raucous outings fans have come to expect, this collection of acoustic blues is a creative success and yet another stellar addition to Guy's already impressive discography.
Recorded at Sweet Tea, Oxford, Mississippi.
Personnel: Buddy Guy (vocals, guitar); Jimbo "Hambone" Mathus (guitar, slide guitar); Eric Clapton, B.B. King (guitar); Tony Garnier (upright bass); Jim Keltner (drums); The Perrys (hand claps).
Audio Mixer: Ed Cherney .
Recording information: Sweet Tea, Oxford, MS.
Illustrator: Jon Langford.
Photographer: Clay Jones.
Acoustic Blues. W/Guests: E. Clapton,B.B.King,J.Keltner ++
Personnel: Buddy Guy (vocals, guitar); B.B. King, Eric Clapton, James "Jimbo" Mathus (guitar); Tony Garnier (upright bass); Jim Keltner (drums); The Perrys (sound effects).
Uncut (11/03, p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Guy sounds simply magnificent, whether he's high and haunting on 'Hard Time Killing Floor' or deep and sonorous on 'Crawlin' King Snake'..." Living Blues (11/03, p.69) - "...He doesn't need anyone's help to make this disc a masterpiece - he takes care of that on his own..."
More great Buddy! This is an excellent CD, with more bare-bones accoustic and vocals than some of his other albums. Submitted by Danger (Las Cruces NM) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
This recording gets you in touch with Buddy Buy's music. I had read that this CD was very enjoyable and I was not disappointed. The performance is earthy and real and the recording conveys the mood, feel and environment. This is a solid performance that is up to audiophile recording standards. Highly recommended. Submitted by jamato8 (Santa Rosa, CA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Pure Blues Blues in it's purest form - a sound that comes from within expressed by the Master - Buddy Guy.
Having read other reviews, some people obviously think the Blues is about loud guitars - how ingnorant.
Well done Buddy!!!
Submitted by a reviewer (Gloucestershire, England) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
More great Buddy!
This recording gets you in touch with Buddy Buy's music.
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