One Kind Favor (2008, Atlantic) B.B. King's twenty-fourth studio album. ***1/2Long hailed as the "King of the Blues," B.B. King is back with an array of blues covers. There's nothing out of the ordinary and his style hasn't changed much, and what's surprising is that even at eighty-two years old, his signature voice doesn't sound weathered at all. It's a bit of a slow-starter, as One Kind Favor eases in with the jazz-flavored "See That My Grave is Kept Clean." The most invigorating and soulful moments don't come until the second act, really opening up with "The World is Going Wrong" and "Blues Before Sunrise." The ensuing songs are equally rattling and rollicking, especially "Backwater Blues" which features King's best and most convincing vocal performance on the entire album. If you love the blues, you love the King, and although it's not his greatest work, it's still enthralling to hear a master make a tried genre sound as good as ever. (Blues Before Sunrise, Backwater Blues, Sitting On Top of the World)
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2 comments:
I haven't heard this album, but am interested that you focus on his vocals. I saw B.B. live twice, once in the late eighties, featuring some of the most stunning guitar playing I've ever witnessed and once in the Summer of 2001, when he certainly didn't miss any notes, but wasn't exactly stretching. That's kept me away from his more recent albums, but maybe focusing on his enduring voice is the way to go....
B.B. King is a funny guy; I certainly have a lot of respect for him, but I think he gets a lot of attention because he's the only true bluesman left. Albert King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James... well, they're all gone, and I think they were all better than him.
I focus on his voice because it's hard to find that kind of pure soul in blues vocals anymore. Jack White can do it, but his voice isn't husky or raspy at all, it sounds like a version of Robert Plant.
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