(Not a recent photo!)
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Record Boy Ink: |
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How do I love B.B. King? Let me recount the riffs. Name 5 guitar players that you could audibly recognize, hearing just one note? OK…two notes. Not many are there? B.B. however is the first to come to Record Boy’s mind!
On his latest album "Let the good times roll: The music of Louis Jordan" (MCA) B.B.’s distinguished guitar playing is not the focus. It’s the songs themselves. For both of Record Boy’s faithful readers who don’t know who Louis Jordan is, he was a prolific R&B hit maker in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s and a tremendous influence not only on B.B. but Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry to name a few. Jordan’s music was bluesy, jazzy and swingin’, but most importantly, chock full of funny lyrics and presented so enthusiastically that it is dang near impossible not to love. B.B. shows his fondness for the material by breezing his way through 18 tracks associated with one of his inspirations. Keep in mind that ‘ol B has recorded many of these songs already during the course of his career so it’s not like he’s doing a tribute album to the Sex Pistols or anything. That, I believe is his next project. On "Let the good times roll…" Lucille shares the spotlight with a crack (and well-recorded) horn section as well as the keyboard and vocal assistance of Dr. John. B.B. has had a series of successful albums in the late ‘90s. A couple featured duets with other stars and the "Blues on the Bayou" album last year featured B.B.’s tight touring band and was produced by the man himself. "Let the good times roll…" represents the king of the blues in a reflective mood, just kickin’ it with material that he loves. Here’s a Record Boy thought: y’know, if Carlos Santana (I bet he was one of your five!) can have a platinum album by collaborating with young hip musicians, why isn’t anybody doing the same for B.B.? As much fun as it is to listen to B. sing these timeless tunes, wasn’t it cool when he collaborated with U2? Like Louis Jordan said "I don’t care whether
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