Customer Reviews

Blues Singer

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I counted the days for this CD to arrive and I was not disappointed. BG follows up with more acoustic work after "Done Got Old" on Sweat Tea. I just recently read and interview with Buddy and he said at his concerts if he plays too much acoustic people want more electic, if he plays too much electric people want more acoustic. In my book, he can play whatever guitar he wants and it all sounds great. BG gives you his all no matter what he plays and a history lesson in blues while he's at it. My advice...buy whatever BG CDs you can. There's always at least a couple of amazing songs on each one. And if you don't like it you may be introduced to the blues of Junior Kimbrough or Son House or who knows???
Blues Singer was worth the wait. I love Lucy Mae Blues, Louis McGhee, Sally Mae, Lonesome Home Blues...hell I love them all!!!!
If you can't buy all of BG's CDs, a good starter course is Slippin' In, Sweat Tea, and at least one with Junior Wells CD(Alone and Acoustic is a great compliment to Blues Singer). I would also recommend Muddy Waters Folk Singer that Buddy played on when he was just a kid.
And if BG is in your town, go see him live. You will not be disappointed! He's 66 years old and can still kick bum on his polka dot strat!!!!

What more can I say, but thanks Buddy Guy and keep 'em coming!!!!

I read too many reviews where the first line beings to the effect of "The album wasn't as good as [the last]..." or "...If you like the style of [the previous]..." But, seriously, who cares? If you like Buddy Guy, whether you like his first album or his last, you will like this album. If you like the blues, you may have even more of an appreciation for it. "Blues Singer" is a well recorded, great sounding album containing some of BG's best blues, electric or not.

Blues neophytes who jumped on the Buddy Guy bandwagon with his last album, the overpraised "Sweet Tea" will doubtless be scratching their heads at the living legend's new disc, "Blues Singer." This disc is a low-key, acoustic tip of the cap to blues masters of the past. Make that very low-key. Guy's guitar is strictly by-the-book and unobtrusive on this unplugged effort; in fact, the guitar tends to be mixed so low you wonder what they were thinking. But really, that was the point: it's called "Blues Singer", after all, and the spotlight is on Guy's laid-back but very effective vocals on these 12 covers that range from well-known to relatively obscure blues songs. Obviously, the inspiration is Muddy Waters' early '60s "Folk Singer" album, on which Guy contributed tasteful acoustic guitar. Nothing wrong with that. So, think "Folk Singer" but also Guy's off-the-cuff acoustic teaming with the great Junior Wells on "Alone and Acoustic", recorded in 1981 and available on Alligator. Hushed, deliberate, reverential but mostly effective. On "Blues Singer" Guy does a fine job aping Skip James' falsetto vocals on the lead track, "Hard Time Killing Floor." There are also three John Lee Hooker tunes, a Frankie Lee Sims cover, a little Robert Nighthawk and, of course, a nod to Muddy on "I Love the Life I Live." Also, there's a really nice rendering of a Son House tune, "Louise McGhee". Jimbo Mathus provides guitar help on nearly every cut, and exactly half the tunes have rhythm supplied by drums (Jim Keltner) and upright bass. Electric? Nope. Fast-paced? Uh-uh. Impassioned? Only partly. This is after-hours, respectful acoustic blues that one would expect to be recorded on a European label as a one-off after a festival gig. This isn't really a criticism. It works, for what it is. Guy's getting up there in years, and a down-home acoustic album of important covers is just fine; this album will seem more significant later on. It's not classic, it's not spine-tingling, but you know what? I prefer this to the admirable experiment but occasional mess that was the raucous "Sweet Tea". But now that he's done both extremes, how about a return to the nearly perfect electric blues of "Slippin' In"?

I have to admit I was a little hesitant about this cd when I heard it was all acoustic. I love Buddys stinging and blistering electric guitar solos, but man oh man is this cd a real blues treat! Buddy Guy is the real deal and he has no problem proving it here! Eric Clapton and BB King lend a hand on "Crawlin' Kingsnake", and Clapton plays on "Lucy Mae Blues" as well. Buddy's vocals are right on and at times make your spine tingle as you really find out here what the blues are all about. Every song on this one is great, my favorites being "Crawlin' Kingsnake", "Moanin' and Groanin'", and "Black Cat Blues". If you love the blues then this cd will definetly put you in blues heaven! Thanks for the great music Buddy!

Buddy Guy is one of the great Blues legends, so almost anything he does is going to be worth your time. This album is no exception. I've covered enough ground in the Blues genre to know good acoustic music when I hear it. Buddy Guy sings with feeling and well-nigh grace, and, I may be wrong, but I think I heard a little guitar in there too.

What I particularly appreciate about this album is that it is consistently good throughout. So many blues albums these days have a few good tracks, with the rest being rather unbearable. This, by contrast, is made up of mostly blues standards, and Buddy Guy brings credit to them all. So while this album can't claim high marks for being artistically original. It will suit you just fine if you're looking to chill out to a fantastic acoustic sound.

Having been a long-time fan of all of Buddy's work from the 50s to the present and having seen him live a couple dozen times at least including some January Legends shows, I must say that I think this new record is going to be truly legendary. Of course, while he is best known for his electric guitar wizardry, this acoustic sampling is just f'n amazing -- it's haunting and it's all Buddy. It's pretty amazing to hear some of these reviewers call this a sell-out record done for marketing purposes and questioning why he did an acoustic record. Why did he unplug? Because HE CAN. Get a clue, man. He has gained more than enough musical credibility in my book to do whatever the hell he wants to do. To say that he is trying to sound like someone else? That's a real laugh! With this record, he has merely summoned the spirits of all the old time players and you can hear that in the heartbeat of every song. Sure, I'd love to see Buddy do a pure electric record with just him, a bass player and a drummer  what fan wouldn't? This acoustic record is a mf'r, though -- I think we might just be on the verge of seeing a legend receive the true acclaim that he is so long overdue.

This is probably the most heart-wrenching, Heartfelt, Soulful, Powerfully Moving albums (I just ran out of adjectives) I have ever heard.....In ANY genere !!!! Total sensory overload.....which is saying a lot considering the "bare bones" feel of the album. This is Buddy stripped Butt Naked.......And he NEVER sounded better. Kudos to you Buddy. You are the master !!! Long may you reign !!!!!

Well, with the greatest respect to the reviewer from Iowa, this CD is simply wonderful. The singing is NOT "laid back" but is passionate to the point of channeling. The production is perfect. It takes a LOT of money to get this "in your room" sound and Herring and his team have delivered just that.Can't afford to have Buddy round to your house? Just buy this CD instead. Song selection- great. Performance-great. What the hell else do you need? Go out and buy it. Iowa is the most miserable state in the USA isn't it?

I bought the CD and noticed the John Lee Hooker style, then i looked in the little album book - and read "In memory of John Lee Hooker".
So i guess this album is kind of a tribute to The Boogie Man, and i like it.
This is old style real blues. Listen to it and enjoy. This is a real treat.

On this disc Buddy pays tribute to Skip James, Willie Dixon, John lee Hooker and others in this 12 track acoustic cover CD. It is a noble effort for Buddy and his vocals and guitar playing are in top form with guest appearances by Eric Clapton and BB King on a couple of tracks helping out on the guitar duties. There is nothing new here but what is here is certainly worthwhile listening. Personally, I think Buddy's acoustic release, "Alone and Acoustic" with Junior Wells is better but that is another review.