Buddy Guy: Blues Singer - Silvertone

The latest recording by the legendary Buddy Guy is aptly titled because of the stripped down and barebones music on this CD. Guy, best known for hard-driving electric blues, goes totally acoustic on Blues Singer. The result is a delta inspired journey which goes back to the basics as drums and upright bass are used sparingly here.

Blues Singer showcases the distinguished voice of one of the world’s most recognized blues singers with a career that spans over four decades. On this disc, Buddy reworks some of the most notorious blues songs with ease. The record reunites Guy with the consummate ax man Eric Clapton. The pair hasn’t worked together since the 1991 release of Damn Right I Got The Blues. Guy and Clapton collaborate on two tracks, “Lucy Mae Blues” and “Crawlin’ King Snake” (which also features the signature fret work of none other than B.B. King). Buddy tackles other classics such as “Anna Lee” “Moanin’ and Groanin’” and “I Live The Life I Love”.

Produced by Dennis Herring (producer Buddy’s Sweet Tea, Counting Crows, Cracker, and Jars of Clay) and mixed by Ed Cherney (Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Dylan, and Eric Clapton) Blues Singer has an authentic feel with the rootsy vibe of a Robert Johnson recording. Blues Singer will be a unquestionable contender when Grammy nominations are passed out. - Tony Engelhart

Darrell Nulisch: Times Like These - Severn

Sadly, I was unable to make it to the Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival this year.
If you were there, you saw Darrell Nulisch and his band. I have seen Darrell perform as the lead singer in James Cotton’s ensemble group several times, both in the Northwest and in the South. I first became aware of him when I got a Darrell Nulisch and the Texas Heat CD several years ago. Darrell has a smooth soulful vocal delivery that is very seductive and full of emotion. He is also a wonderful harmonica player. When I saw him with James Cotton, he only played harp on a couple of songs a night, for obvious reasons.

Darrell Nulisch’s latest recording, Times Like These, has a great mix of groovin’ blues and soul tunes. The band is tight and the arrangements are tasty. The great horn section is arranged and conducted by David Maxwell, the piano player who played in James Cotton’s band with Darrell. Although Darrell plays some harmonica on a few songs, I find myself wanting to hear more. Whenever I saw him with the James Cotton Band I wanted to hear him play more also, so it is a little disappointing to me that there is so little harmonica on his own album.

After a few listenings, I found myself singing along with many of the songs. There are the somewhat standard blues topics; lost love, betrayal, and ‘I’m leavin your sorry ass’; as in “Lonely Man”, “Something Else”, and “Running Out”. There are also hopeful love songs and “how to” love songs, such as “I Found Love” and “Handle It With Care”. The title cut, “Times Like These” is a soul ballad about the dire straights that the world is in because of the lack of love. It’s a very beautiful and moving song, my favorite on the album, I think. This CD will be in my player a lot!!!
- Jeff Herzog

Otis Taylor: Truth Is Not Fiction - Telarc

Otis Taylor is not your average blues artist. Inspired by delta blues, country, and folk genres, Taylor is an eclectic performer to say the least. With candid, overly political lyrics, Otis is akin to ’60s folk singers such as Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie, while his rapid fire pickin’ style is comparable to Richie Havens. On his fourth recording, Truth Is Not Fiction (his debut for Telarc), he pushes the musical envelope further than ever as he incorporates haunting electric textures in his infamous acoustic assault.

Never afraid to explore controversial issues, Otis explores everything from race relations, spousal abuse, and the plight of the Native Americans in the 1930s on Truth. The blues on this album parallels the style of the late John Lee Hooker as Taylor seems to make up the words effortlessly as he goes. Otis flirts with rock and roll, using an Ome banjo and distorted electric guitar with only a bass accompaniment on “Be My Frankenstein”. Otis’s use of cello on “House of the Crosses” creates a Celtic vibe and backing vocals by Cassie Taylor have a poignant affect on the already disturbing song. He gets back to the fundamental roots of the delta with a cover of the Big Joe Williams’ classic “Baby, Please Don’t Go”, complete with a harmonica counterpart, to end the disc.

Truth Is not Fiction is a diverse and wide-ranging recording and it proves once and for all why Otis Taylor is a deserving W.C. HANDY Award winner. - Tony Engelhart (See Otis Taylor tour dates in calendar).

© 2003