Since his re-emergence with the excellent "Don't Give Up On Me" circa 2002, Burke has been relatively busy releasing three albums since, of which this is the latest. As on previous outings, Solomon benefits from songwriting contributions from some of his erstwhile supporters/friends; Eric Clapton, Keb Mo, Ben Harper and Jesse Harris are named among the songwriting credits on this effort.

 A relatively low key affair, and in many ways all the better for that - overall, it's a nicely paced album, Solomon's in fine voice and some, but not all the material, is pretty good. Clapton's contributions are amongst the best, the title track in particular proving to be a particularly affecting ballad that latter day Clapton has come to specialise in. Other standouts include 'We Don't Need It' (a Keb Mo contribution), 'A Minute To Rest' (Ben Harper) and Eric's other, more sprightly contribution, 'Thank You'.

There are a few fillers and, despite what others have said, I'd rather not hear Solomon tackle his version of the great American songbook Rod Stewart style, even if 'If I Give My Heart To You' was a song he grew to love though listening to it with his mother. He may well do a fine job artistically, but an album of standards from one of the great soul singers I still think we can well do without. 

This is an OK album, and it will simply be a matter of taste whether or not you prefer this album's low key approach, the high profile "Don't Give Up On Me" or the previous release's direct homage to country music ("Nashville"). It's not going to win over any new converts though, which is someting "Don't Give Up On Me" definitely achieved.

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David Ritz, co-author of Mr Wexler's memoirs, said the producer passed away at his home in Sarasota, Florida.

Wexler rose to fame as a partner in Atlantic Records with the late Ahmet Ertegun.

Amongst many others, Wexler produced seminal recordings by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett.

The son of Polish immigrants, Wexler was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1917. He developed a passion for jazz and blues in his teens, frequenting clubs in the Harlem district of the city.

He also wrote one of the more entertaining music biographies the Shades site has ever read, although its complete veracity might be open to question in a number of areas. You can read a review of his book here

Read a little more about Wexler and Atlantic Records here

Always enjoyed the artist biographies and the reviews section, both of which have been a bit quiet for a few months. Are we going to see any more content soon. Last time this happened the site went through a major revamp. I'd rather have more info than another redesign :-)

Regards
Westgrandbaby

Arriving a little late to this album, I couldn't avoid catching some of the other reviews, which have been mixed to say the least. If you are coming to B.B for the first time, this isn't the place to start - this is after all an album by a man in his 80s and, whilst not wishing to be ageist, that must lead to a couple of musical compromises. Newbies need to go back to some of his earlier releases or dig out a compilation or Primer recommendation. 

Having said that, it's still fine album. It's a relatively stripped back affair, well produced by T Bone Burnett. B.B revisits many of the blues tracks that actually directly or indirectly influenced his own style - numbers by Blind Lemon, Furry Lewis, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Lonnie Johnson are amongst those included in the set.

There is a very fine band behind the great man (Jim Keltner on drums, Dr John on keyboards and Nathan East on bass included) and his guitar playing is still top notch. This is a blues album that goes back to basics and King's vocals never seem to dim; a little more world weary perhaps, but still that trademark warmth and as commanding as ever.

The Primer's favourites? Probably 'See That My Grave Is Kept Clean' and 'Sitting On Top Of The World', both great versions of truly classic blues.

Its good, and definitely worth having in your collection - but I do have to agree with the reviewer who said that the typical Burnett stripped down approach has paradoxically given the release a sameness to some of the tracks. Whether that equates to consistency and cohesion or a repetition is down to the listener? Either way, it pretty damn good for a man in his eighties (are we allowed to say that!), any B.B fan will want it in their collection but a newbie might be better off starting elsewhere.

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The Primer's last exposure to Farlowe was the excellent 2003 release "Farlowe That", which was characterised by great song choices, fairly lush production values and stellar accompaniment in the shape of Van Morrison.

"Eingang" is a significant departure from Farlowe That. It's a band orientated album, with much simpler production values - still a Van Morrison link though, with sometime Van band member Sarah Jory appearing here on pedal steel guitar.

The song selection on Eingang is also pretty sound - the Primer could have done without 'It Should Have Been Me' - after Ray Charles, no other attempt is truly going to cut it, this one included. Ignore that one though, and songs by Snooks Eaglin, Boz Scaggs, Robert Cray and Farlowe himself add up to a consistent and varied release. Farlowe's voice is still exceptionally strong and let's not forget this guy was having his major commercial successes in the sixties.

Straight ahead rock, blues, R&B and country are all present and correct but, as usual, Farlowe excels with the ballad choices. Even when the lyric might be a little hackneyed, Chris pulls it off through the power of both voice and personality - 'Don't Wanna Love You Anymore' and Cray's 'Baby's Arms' are excellent versions of great songs.   

I wonder if Chris Farlowe might well be one of the most under-appreciated vocalist in popular music - he has a uniquely muscular but agile approach to what he sings and both this and Farlowe That deserve investigation. This CD is clearly not going to re-establish him as a star (it's probably too late for that) but it should appeal to most blues and R&B fans and to those who have continued to follow his career from the 60s onwards. He's still touring and is definitely worth seeing live.

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Mitty is now probably best remembered for her truly exceptional ballad 'I Had A Talk With My Man' - based on the James Cleveland gospel 'I Had A Talk With God' and recorded and released in 1965. But this stellar release is far from the complete story and the recent release of the Chess singles anthology on Kent records provides an appropriate opportunity to pick up on Collier's career, especially her tenure at Chess records.

Like many before her and since, Mitty was initially attracted to music through the gospel of her local church in Birmingham, Alabama. While she was still at college she started singing secular material and performing in local R&B clubs. Following a visit to her brother, who had moved to Chicago, she entered a number of talent shows, the most important of which was probably the Al Benson show, which she won for seven weeks in a row. Benson had strong ties with Chess Records and, on the back of her talent show success, Ralph Bass from Chess saw her perform and offered her a recording contract

Initial recording sessions from 1961 onwards included 'I've Got to Get Away From It All'  and 'I've Got Love'. The release was picked up and reviewed by a number of the music publications of the day but her first chart success didn't come until the 1963 release of 'I'm Your Part Time Love' (an answer record to Johnnie Taylor's 'Part Time Love'). Before her next hit, she released a terrific version of 'Let Them Talk' that failed to chart. By this time Mitty had been at Chess for around four years with only one appearance on the R&B charts to show for it. 

'I Had A Talk...' was the next single to be released and became Mitty's second R&B chart success. Fantastic arrangement, truly exceptional vocal performance and a great song - an instant classic that managed #3 on the Cashbox R&B charts. It also reached #41 on the hot 100 and obviously deserved to go much higher. 'No Faith, No Love' was the follow up, another adaptation of a Cleveland song. Another great performance, it nonetheless only managed #49 on the Billboard charts. 

Other releases followed (including the album "Shades Of A Genius") but further chart success was proving illusive. 'For My Man' was just a bit too similar to 'I Had A Talk' although the flip 'Help Me' was a punchy track that merited a bigger push from Chess. As Tony Rounce has commented in his liner notes for The Chess singles anthology, Chess has in the past been criticised by many of its former artists over its payment of appropriate royalties but there is no denying its commitment to Mitty. She stated with the label for eight years and Chess only managed to get four reasonably sized hits out of all the sessions held in that period. In the end her biggest hit wasn't 'I Had A Talk' but a 1966 release called 'Sharing You', which reached #10 on the Billboard charts (Billboard wasn't publishing R&B charts when 'I Had A Man' was released. New releases followed every six months or so, but no chart success. 'My Party' in particular is fantastic, almost as intense as her most famous recording. 

In 1969 Mitty left Chess and joined the Atlanta independent label Peachtree but by 1972 she had abandoned secular recording completely. Following recovery from polyps on the vocal chords she did at least begin singing again, but only gospel / spiritual recordings.

Her post pop career has seen Mitty develop her own ministry, work at the University of Illinois, receive an honorary doctorate and B.A, as well as release a series of gospel albums. For R&B lovers however, her tenure at Chess is a "must hear". With the release of Kent's "Shades Of Mitty Collier - The Chess Singles 1961 - 1968" we've all got the chance to do just that. A must have in any R&B collection, I'd urge everyone to get it while it stays in print.

Anyone who only knows Elvin Bishop from the 70s hit 'Fooled Around and Fell In Love' is in for a shock - this is a blues album beginning to end and is of course far more representative of Bishop's career than that fairly brief flirtation with the pop charts.

Firstly, a quick nod to the many and varied guests on the album. These include B.B. King, James Cotton, George Thorogood, Kim Wilson, Angela Strehli, Derek Trucks and Warren Hayes - that's a stellar list and evidence enough of the high regard in which Bishop is held by both his peers and some of the younger blues players that have followed him on to the scene. But do they bring anything to the party and what of Bishop himself?

Bishop has always been a very fine guitar player (and a slightly weaker vocalist) and his playing throughout this album is very fine, fiery and soulful - possibly better than ever. The use of guest vocalists is also helpful, fleshing out the sound and providing a little necessary variation. An excellent example is the Paul Butterfield era 'Yonder's Wall', presented here as a mid tempo workout with Ronnie Baker Brooks on vocals, leaving Elvin to concentrate on the featured guitar work. 'Keep A dollar In My Pocket' features B.B. King, with the added bonus of a little pre song chat with B.B about bandleader Roy Milton, the song's originator.

Most of the songs are well chosen, but another Ray Charles "tribute" ('Night Time') is a little superfluous, especially when, as in this case, it adds little to what went before, either vocally or in its arrangement. There are a couple of Junior Wells songs, with 'Come On In This House' already a Primer favourite. 'Black Gal' adds some zydeco blues to the mix, a Clifton Chenier tune sung by R.C. Carrier, who had previously played in Chenier's band. The sleeve notes tell us that Bishop also got to play on one of Clifton's 70s albums. The album finishes with the Jimmy Reed classic 'Honest I do', with John Nemeth on harmonica.and Bishop providing some lovely slide guitar

It's a very solid release from a fine blues practitioner. The album has a guest list that includes both veterans and relative newcomers, and it includes tunes both old and new. It connects a blues history with the future of the genre and is clearly a labour of love, without being precious or stuffy - Bishop's music has alway been imbued with a sense of humour. Very listenable, but given the track record of both Bishop and his guests, perhaps not as stellar as might have been expected.

And I still can't decide whether 'Oklahoma', with Elvin on vocals and solo guitar only, is the best or worst track on the album .

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Petit has been lauded as key player in the modern blues movement ever since the release of "Guitararama" in 2008. And he definitely seems to be on a mission, claiming he "was put on the planet to play the blues"

Listening to him on his own website, he's clearly paid his dues, both musically and through his addictions to alcohol and drugs, both of which he has now kicked. He says he's particularly keen to get the blues across to a younger audience and Guitararama certainly has that modern edge to it, both in terms of the playing and the production values.

And he's not short of admirers either - the album was voted album of the year by Guitar Magazine and he's been featured on the Paul Jones blues show on Radio 2, which unusually was also filmed; you can see Petit performing 'Love In Vain' with Mick Taylor by going to the Radio 2 website

He's got a new album coming out shortly and the lead off single from it is a terrific reworking of 'As The Years Go Passing By'. If this is a true reflection of the quality of the rest of the album, I'd argue that this is the release that might help to take the blues to a new audience. Guitararama is a fine record but not necessarily the one to pull in new listeners - by and large it's a modern blues album with rock sensibiilties; and it's largely intrumental, which can lead to a lack of variey if it's not paced correctly.

The latest single is arranged by Chris Elliot (Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse etc.) and is truly a modern take on a blues classic - hopefully a very promising foretaste of what's to come from the new release.

Petit has been touring reasonably extensively recently so if you get the chance to see him live then take it - you can decide for yourself whether this is the real deal and a take on the blues that will bring in a newer audience. For the Primer, very promising but not too sure it's the "New Blues Revolution"

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This release was nominated for the Soul/Blues Album of the Year in the Annual Blues Music Awards (2009) so we were expecting an R&B treat. Payne and partner, guitarist Steve Edmondson, have been playing together for years, with countless appearances at festivals around the world to their name.

"Overnight Sensation" reflects that track history and shows off a terrifically tight band and their particular brand of timeless R&B that recalls the sounds of Pickett, Redding and particularly Bobby Bland. Gospel, blues, soul and straight ahead R&B are all featured on the set, with most of the tracks written by the two lead protagonists.

And therein lies one of the weaknesses of the release - the songs aren't really anything to get that excited about, and you occasionally get the feeling that you've heard it all before. There's a fine line between being true to the form and straight forward repetition and there are one or two songs that veer towards the latter. Which makes a couple of covers the more successful tracks on the album, especially a very fine, understated version of Charlie Rich's 'Feel Like Going Home'; and that is praise indeed because I doubt Rich's version could ever actually be surpassed.

Vocally, Payne has been compared directly to Bobby Bland and you can certainly hear the influence. Unfortunately, he isn't the same league (but who is) and he isn't as good an interpreter either (Feel Like Going Home Aside), even on his own material.

This isn't a bad album at all, and lovers of the soul/blues hybrid popularised by the likes of Bobby, Little Milton and Z.Z. Hill will find a great deal to enjoy if they take a punt and buy the CD. It's just not bringing much in the way of innovation to the table. And so in the end I think I'd just rather listen to the real deal and all those wonderful Bland Duke/ABC recordings!  

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I'll be the first to admit that the Shades CD collection isn't awash with John Scofield releases; obviously a singular guitar talent, just not one that has found its way into the blues, R&B and soul catalogue of the Primer (or any other part of the catalogue for that matter)! Known to Shades as a fluid and technical virtuoso, his previous releases just never struck an emotional chord. Which makes my reaction to this release even more surprising.

As Scofield himself says of this release "I'm just shifting the balances for this one. I've always wanted to record and tour a blues project. That's where I started as a guitarist and I'm feeling that music more than ever of late. I launched a personal search for musical inspiration beyond the standard 12 bar blues and found it in "old time gospel" music - the closest relative to and inspiration for the R& B that we all love. I've always treasured Gospel but never really dug deep into it. My search led to countless songs that really move me. It's really powerful stuff. Of course, it will be Gospel done my way - all the arrangements are mine".

That last bit is important because the arrangements are great. I've read one review that considers the performance and arrangements 'lifeless' but we can't have been listening to the same CD. A band that includes Jon Cleary on keyboards, George Porter Jr. on bass and Ricky Fataar on drums is simply not going to deliver a lifeless set and it doesn't.

This is gospel music in an understated setting and there are 13 excellent examples of Scofield's obvious arranging skills on here, mainly well-known gospel standards with a couple of originals thrown in to the mix for good measure. The guitar playing is understandably first rate throughout - simpler and more direct than Scofield fans are used to maybe, but showcasing what a fine blues guitarist he can be. The title track, 'It's A Big Army', 'Ninety Nine and a Half' and 'Just a Little While' are favourites but the whole CD hangs together very well. So understated it may be, but it's certainly not lifeless - there's more than one way to play any genre and it doesn't always have to be flat out and high octane.

A couple of minor quibbles - the CD feels a little bit over produced for music centred on New Orleans jazz and blues and I will concede that some of the vocal performances are not up to the standard of the playing - John Boutte is particularly average. But overall this is one of the best and most surprising releases I've heard this year.

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Any B.B performance is likely to be a treat but this 1974 performance is better than anyone has a right to expect. Appearing in Zaire on the back of the Muhammad Ali and George Foreman heavyweight title fight (billed it as the 'Rumble in the Jungle'.

B.B. King was the headlining act. Anyone who has ever had the fortune to see B.B. King play live knows that he is always gives value for money, even when he finally made concessions to his age and remained seated throughout large parts of a performance. "B.B. King: Live in Africa '74" highlights the Blues Boy at the peak of his powers, as a performer and as a player - he had by this time largely manged to crossover to the popular mainstream and had a following far beyond the standard blues lover; and he was already approaching fifty when he played in Zaire, so it took him a while to get here.

The sound recording is excellent, and the filming is great in that it is all concert, beginning to end - no distractions to disrupt the flow of the show. Some might now call this technique perfunctory, but for those just interested in the music, it's perfect. The picture isn't bad either, considering it is by necessity a video to DVD transfer.

Excellent choice of material - 'Sweet Sixteen' from early in his career, a great interpretation of 'Believe To My Soul', along with what was then fairly recently released material such as 'Ain't Nobody Home' 'Guess Who' and the King standard 'The Thrill Is Gone'.

Great playing, great singing, great band! What more could you want? Well, you would probably want a little more of the same, as the DVD only runs to around 48 minutes. And there isn't much in the way of extras - there's a fairly short interview with King, which isn't specifically about the Zaire concert and probably doesn't tell you much you didn't already know about him. But 48 minutes of King in his prime is worth more than two hours of mediocrity and this is B.B at his best.

Unreservedly recommended and easily the best DVD featuring the great man that I have yet to see and hear. Ali is in the audience by the way, but blink and you'll miss him!

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Originally published in 1946 this book has often been described as one of the key autobiographies in popular music. Mezzrow was a white Jewish boy who learnt to play saxophone in reformatory school and went on to immerse himself in the jazz world of the 1920s and 30s. But does it have any relevance to or resonate with 21st century sensibilities?

First point to note is that Mezzrow was a very interesting character. He was a musician, a manager (Louis Armstrong), owned his own record label and also had a reputation as one of jazz's foremost drug dealers! He also crossed the racial divide in 1920's America to make himself part of black culture. And I mean crossed the divide!

Mezzrow was obsessive in his embrace of what was then a "pariah nether world" and took his passion to extremes. He wasn't the first to adopt the back man's music, slang and style but he was probably the first who, after extended immersion in the black community, genuinely believed he had actually, physically, turned black. When he was arrested in 1940, he insisted on being held in the black section of a New York prison. He claimed that even if he didn't look coloured, he was - the prison wardens believed him and moved him in with the black prisoners.

So Mezzrow is clearly a fascinating character. But what you also get from this book is a first hand account of the jazz / blues world of the day - the street life, blues roadhouses, brothels, bar and the honky tonks as well as his own view of some of the great musical personalities of the day. And as it was to a large degree written in the slang of the jazz underground of the day, it introduced a new audience to what soon became the standard vocabulary of the wider musical world. It's difficult to imagine now, but this is the first time many had come across words such as 'hipster', 'groovy' and 'high'.

The hip slang of the time in which the majority of the book is written can on occasion become a little tiresome, especially for a middle age white man from a Yorkshire steel city who struggles with some of the meaning even now; but it is also part of its charm and on balance would be far more ordinary and conventional without it. In some ways it set the mark for much of the beat generation writing that followed.

As to its current value - it tells us how everything started, an eye witness account of the birth of jazz/blues and its associated culture. It describes a genuinely unique individual (a much overused characterisation) who was at the same time inspired, odd, passionate, misguided and incredibly influential. It is, in the end, simply a very fine autobiography coupled with a genuinely entertaining overview of a musical and cultural time and place that set the context for everything that followed. Definitely worth a punt!

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I want to present another opinion regarding your review of the Jackie Payne/Steve Edmonson CD. Although I can appreciate the difference of opinion, I wonder if you have seen this group in a live performance. If not, I do hope you will get an opportunity to see the band live. Since I am also a journalist, sometimes I listen two or three times before I get the full flavor of what is coming through a cold environment. If I am reviewing a CD, I listen much more over a period of time.

Since I have been a fan of Jackie Payne's for many years and have seen him in many venues (just recently at the 2009 Blues Music Awards show), I can tell you that his live performances are sensational--and his "partner in the blues" Steve Edmonson is just icing on the cake.

BTW, I love "Overnight Sensation"!