Blues On The Bayou

Blues On The Bayou

• KING B. B.
• BLUES
• INTERNATIONAL
• MUSIC

There's an undeniable pleasure in listening to a veteran bluesman do his stuff. For <I>Blues on the Bayou</I>, which he also produced, B.B. King presents a stripped-down, simply-arranged recording that's as tight as a coiled spring and smooth as a freshly-polished dance floor. From the first track, "Blues Boys Tune," a slow instrumental dripping with organ riffs, this CD is chock-full of the sort of guitar work that a master like King makes sound effortless. Whether it's the mid-tempo playfulness of "Bad Case of Love," or the slow "Blues Man" with its sparkling-clean guitar work, or the wistfulness of "Darlin' What Happened," or the sheer sweetness of "If I Lost You," <I>Blues on the Bayou</I> proves why King is considered the reigning master of blues guitar. Even the violins sound right and proper here, and King's sidemen turn in some impressive work as well; there are in particular some great piano solos on this disc. On the whole, <I>Blues on the Bayou</I> is a slow-burning treat. <I>--Genevieve Williams</I>