Various Artists: Bar-B-Cue'n Blues

Continuing on from Mean Streets, Jukin, Belly Full Of Blues and Saturday Night In Shankletown, comes Bar-B-Cue'n Blues, which is part five of the Jukin Wit de Blues series from Catbone Unreleased Records. As with the previous collections of vintage live in the studio Blues performances, BBCB is themed, although with the thought this time being for music to indeed Bar-B-Cue to, possibly the link here is more tenuous than on previous collections. That however doesn't stop this album being one of the strongest in the series, with the more energetic feel to many of the songs presented here being heavier in execution, possibly resulting in a more accessible vibe for those not already devoted to the Blues.

As ever the cast list reads like a Blue's who of the genre, with contributions from amongst other, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, James Cotton and John Lee Hooker, leaving little doubt that we are in the company of Blues royalty here. That said, the real stars of the show are the three shit-kickin tracks from Billy Boy Arnold, which absolutely bristle with energy. In fact the opening attack of "Catfish" and the risqué "Dirty Mother Furriers" are as strong a pairing as any across the whole five CD series. There are other gems here as well though, with the steady stomp of Jimmy Reed's "Boogie In The Dark" and the irresistible groove of John Lee Hooker's "Should Have Been Gone", also hitting the spot. In this energetic company, some of the simpler, more stripped back performances such as the other Jimmy Reed contribution "Goin Fishin" and "I Feel Good" by Muddy Waters, can feel a little less impactful. However, as with the Jukin' collection, ending with a jazzy piece of Jack Millman swing, this time it is "Tom And Jerry", does absolutely nothing for this whole compilation. It really is a damp squib of an ending and shouldn't have been anywhere near this CD.

Other issues appear in the shape of the poor liner notes in the nice if throwaway booklet and the singular lack of information on where these recordings came from. However that shouldn't detract from what is in essence an excellent collection of Blues numbers presented as they were meant to be heard.

Track Listing
1. Catfish - BILLYBOY ARNOLD
2. Dirty Mother Furriers - BILLY BOY ARNOLD
3. Louise - HOWLIN WOLF
4. You Know It Aint Right - JAMES COTTON
5. Sally Mae - JOHN LEE HOOKER
6. Boogie In The Dark - JIMMY REED
7. Sweet Miss Bea - BILLY BOY ARNOLD
8. All Aboard - MUDDY WATERS
9. I Feel So Good - MUDDY WATERS
10. Built For Comfort - HOWLIN WOLF
11. I Don't Know What You've Got - LITTLE RICHARD
12. Should Have Been Gone - JOHN LEE HOOKER
13. So Glad I'm Livin - JAMES COTTON
14. Goin Fishin - JIMMY REED
15. Tom And Jerry - JACK MILLMAN

Added: April 7th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Catbone Music
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Language: english

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