Once again the veteran Chicago blues guitarist has “brought ’em in” by the boatload: this disc features cameos by Keith Richards, Carlos Santana and Robert Randolph, among others. But this time, Buddy Guy seems to have taken some extra care in choosing both his material and his musical context.
The set list includes soul-era gems penned by the likes of Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Curtis Mayfield, Bettye Crutcher and Bill Withers (as well as, among other hidden surprises, an audacious cover of Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay”). Stax veterans Andrew Love and Lester Snell wrote the charts and played the horns on several cuts. The result is, at least arguably, Guy’s finest full-band recording in decades.
Buddy’s guitar, of course, is prominent throughout, but this time he remembers that telling a musical story is more important than firing out endless hyper-drive assaults. His tone is as multifaceted as ever — molten lava one moment, a butterfly-wing whisper the next — but every note, phrase and timbral coloration sounds as if it has a purpose.
His voice, meanwhile, which has always been his secret weapon, is showcased at its absolute best. Graced with a heart-stopping tremolo, layers of texture, and an elusive but palpable vulnerability, it cracks and quivers with what sounds like genuine pathos, yet it’s undergirded with street-toughened leather.
This set won’t please purists for whom nothing less than a return to Guy’s late-’50s/early-’60s form would suffice; but admirers of contemporary blues, roots-rock, and even revivalist deep soul will probably welcome it with open ears and open arms.
