Customer Reviews

The Blues Rolls On

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Elvin is a legend and this album demonstrates exactly how/why. He's got the best in blues guesting on this CD, but Elvin is the real draw here. His playing is even better and more soulful then the early days (yes, I have some of his stuff on LP!). Blues men always get better with age and they don't make blues like this anymore. "Oklahoma" and his cover of "Night Time Is The Right Time" are highlights and a duet with B.B. King is always gonna be worth a listen.

I first heard Elvin Bishop in 1967 playing second guitar in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Forty-one years later, he's playing second guitar to no one. He has earned his blues and his peers' respect doing the passion of his life. He is the reflection of the gritty and raw music that not only survives but thrives in the souls of those that have lived in tough times, lost at love, or have compassion. While I still prefer his days of trading licks with Mike Bloomfield, this CD and the talent in it are worth the price of admission. Elvin still has a few more notes to share with us all, it's just a matter of listening.

"The Blues Rolls On" is Elvin Bishop's best album to date. His guitar playing is spot on and he certainly knows how to "strut his stuff"! With special guests such as B.B. King, George Thorogood, Derek Trucks and more, "The Blues Rolls On" is sure to please blues fans, old and new. My personal favorites are "Struttin' My Stuff" and "Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket." This is a great album and I'm glad to see that Elvin is keeping the blues alive and well.

I've been a blues fan for 30 years now and I'm always on the lookout for any band that plays fresh tunes and keeps the jams short and tight. A welcome record for anyone sick and tired of hearing the Chess songbook over and over and again.

Tight, soulful, and unique. Notables include the long forgotten Roy Milton gem "Keep a dollar in your pocket" and Junior Wells' "I found out." Elvin's next record should be more hidden gems like these. He's got to know tons of other songs like these Roy Milton and minor Junior Wells tunes just sitting around. T-bone Walker comes to mind...

I can always turn to Elvin to rock me and bring out some humor in the Blues. He can always make me laugh. Which always makes one feel better. From "Paul Butterfield blues band" to "Rock My Soul," and recordings over the years, he is fantastic on guitar. I've seen him live several times at "The Palms," a small venue in Davis, California and he always put on a great show. Once he opened for "Little Charlie" at Slims in SF and I swear, Little Charlie came out affected by ELvin's playing. It raised his performance a notch or two.

This latest recording is no different. He brings together some famous musicians and personalizes them. His discussions with B.B. King is reminiscent of Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn. I am reminded of Dan Akroyd speaking on the Blues Brothers recording saying, "in another 20 years you won't be able to hear master bluesmen practicing their craft anymore." Well I believe this recording proves him wrong. The blues is very much alive in these recordings and some of the best are displayed here. Elvin Bishop is the thread that ties these songs and musicians together.

I'm obviously a fan and I'm glad he's still putting it out!

Elvin is one of a kind!! He has played with and known them all, and taught most of them a few things along the way. A style all his own and a sense of humor that is refreshing in a time when everyone takes themselves so G__ D----- seriously.
In this CD, Elvin shares and spotlights many other blues players; some known and some almost unheard of. As you read in the CD details, even B.B. joins in.
I don't believe Elvin is old enough to pass the torch on yet, but maybe he is thinking about it with this CD.
Buy it, this CD is a treasure!!!!

Nice. Listenable. Great line up of guest players. Just nothing special. Maybe it was the songs. Maybe the CD just did not hit me the way I was expecting. Can't really say, but with this all star cast, I was expecting more energy and creativity. What I heard were extraordinary artists going through the motions on some thread worn songs. Not bad, just not what it could have been.

Anyone that's not convinced that Elvin Bishop is a true bluesman hasn't listened to this CD. Along with the classic likes of B.B. King, James Cotton, George Thorogood, meshed with the talents of Kim Wilson, and Derek Trucks, it's where classic blues meets new blues. This CD hits the "blues-eye".

This is a great album and I really like the nod towards the new up and comers. If you have bought other albums from Elvin Bishop this one deserves to be included in your collection. I hope the guy lives for another 20 years just to hear what he's up to. He never grows old to these ears.

Elvin still has it.
And he's sharing it with the next gen of blues artists.
Really a fine album.