Blues On The Bayou

There's an undeniable pleasure in listening to a veteran bluesman do his stuff. For Blues on the Bayou, 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," Blues on the Bayou 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, Blues on the Bayou is a slow-burning treat. --Genevieve Williams