T-Bone Burnett and B.B. King (and Lucille) have teamed up to re-visit some of the songs that inspired the great bluesman when he was a young man. Now at 82, this release shows Mr. King still able to play and sing as if nothing has aged him at all. Sure he has slowed down a bit and no longer plays over 300 gigs a year, but an artist with his track record deserves to rest a bit.
T-Bone presented B.B. with a list of 200 songs to pick the tracks for this session and the ones selected here give us a good overview of the styles that made B.B. who he is. Bringing in some fine hands to help him out on keyboards, Dr. John, Nathan East on bass and the iconic Jim Keltner on drums, this is another fine addition to the many sides cut by King. T-Bone Walker’s swinging I Get So Weary is a standout, with a tight horn section, and so is Get These Blues Off Me, where the keyboards and Lucille cook up a fine blend of late night groove.
One Kind Favor is a grand addition to the catalogue of Mr. King, and stands alongside his fantastic Blues On The Bayou session recorded in 1998 and produced by B.B. himself. That was a down-home recording where he took his touring band into the studio and recorded the songs they had been playing live to tape. T-Bone Burnett has produced just about everyone – Krauss/Plant, Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello to name a few – and here he wanted to make an album that sounded like it was recorded in the ‘50s. He has succeeded in what he set out to do.
How Many More Years, one of my all time favourite blues numbers written by Chester Burnett, showcases the guitar and vocals of B.B. Although Mr. King is no Howlin’ Wolf, he hits the nail on the head with this whipped-up rendition. So many great songs and not a dud amongst this 12-song celebration of the blues. This is the blues. This is the King.
One Kind Favor is out on Geffen Records/Universal Music on 30 August 2008.
