One of the many things I appreciate about the blues scene is how much more open older artists are to collaborating with artists younger than them, From what I can tell based on the interviews I’ve seen with some of the older guys it seems they understand the importance of the legacy of this music, Their place in it’s history, as well as the importance of passing it on to the next generations who will follow in their footsteps and blaze their own trails. The younger artists on the other hand hold a special reverence for these older cats, Looking at them with awe for their technique and mastery, After all these are the guys that inspired them. You could see that with Johnny Winter when he recorded Hard Again with Muddy Waters, You saw it with Eric Clapton when he recorded Riding With The King with B.B. King, and you can certainly see it in Kenny Wayne Shepherd recording this album with Bobby Rush.
With these multi generational collaborations between masters of the genre it really seems like the artists bring out the best in each other, The strengths of both artists come to bear and the end result is something at once contemporary and yet very much steeped in the classics.
A great bass line and classic blues style harmonica starts off the album’s first track “Who Was That” before the drums and guitar comes in, This song for me falls somewhere between B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughn. No over the top fireworks here, just straight up classic grooving blues.
“40 Acres (How Long)” is the song where I began to hear Kenny’s style a lot more, But played with more of a delta blues style rather than the more modern electric blues he’s known for. Excellent finger picked acoustic blues melodies that are hypnotic dominate the song, The backbeat nothing more than patting on the guitar. Organ keys accent the guitar and Bobby’s harmonica solo is fantastic, I think this song is a master class in where less might be occasionally more but it’s all in the execution. Absolutely enthralling track and Bobby’s vocals it must be noted are soulful on this record and for a man in his 90’s age has not dulled him at all.
“Hey Baby (What Are We Going To Do)” kicks up the distortion and tempo. I’m really loving Bobby’s harmonica playing on this record, It used to be a staple of the genre but I see less modern artists utilizing harmonica and that’s a real shame, Between Kenny’s riffs and Bobby’s harmonica you have an incredible example of why both instruments go so well together from two master players. This song has a real swagger to it.
“Uncle Esau” if I’m not mistaken was the albums first single or at least first music video, It’s a bright sounding track sounding straight out of the 70’s. The keys do the majority of the melody of this song and Kenny’s guitar slices through with some excellent leads, the rhythm section adding to the danceable quality of this song. Just a fun, Funky song.
“Make Love To You” has a bit of a funk and soul influenced to the melody, I get a subtle Bobby Womack influence on this track. The tempo and space the rhythm gives each instrument to shine makes this song a real treat to immerse yourself into if you love a well orchestrated song like I do, This is a melodically rich song.
“Long Way From Home” I hear a bit of John Lee Hooker on the delivery of the acoustic playing which is accented by electric lead flourishes and of course Bobby’s excellent harmonica playing. Honkey Tonk piano playing in the background adds to the old school quality of this song.
“G String” is a classic sounding blues track, Partly narrated and partly sung. A song about winning the lottery and wanting to get out of town and have some fun. The more intricate part of the song is in the acoustic guitar playing which is absolutely stunning, as Bobby wrote this song I’m not sure if it’s him or Kenny playing.
“You So Fine” kicks things back up considerably. This song goes more in a Stevie Ray Vaughn direction, Fuzzy electric blues with excellent slide playing by Kenny.
“Young Ways” plays more in Kenny’s style that he’s well known for, I could see this track being on his first couple of albums, But I think that Bobby’s vocals really give it a lot more soulfulness that helps it feel at home on this record. Absolutely incredible electric blues with the best guitar solo on the album.
“What She Said” ends the album off with another classic old school blues sounding track.
When you get two top tier blues masters like this doing an album together, The rare time that happens, It’s always a treat and you’d be a fool to miss out on it.
Listen to this and consider that Bobby is 91 years old and still sounding incredible, The collaboration between him and Kenny is absolute gold and you can feel the passion in every note of these songs, not a second was wasted and there’s not a single song that feels like filler. This is two greats taking you to school.
I think the thing that surprises me the most is how Kenny became an absolute chameleon on this album, most of the playing on this is not the style of blues fans know him for, This is a style of blues that is older and not many that I’ve heard are doing it this well. I imagine some of that can be attributed to Bobby’s end of the collaboration, Or maybe it’s that an excellent musician knows how to play to the strengths of a song. Both of these guys sound incredible on this record and I would love to see them do another one.
Probably the best blues album you’ll hear this year.
9/10
