Customer Reviews

If I Had a Genie

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Long known among the blues guitar community as one of the most unique and gifted talents of his generation, Junior Watson has made his fans' long wait for his second solo release well worth it with the release of "If I Had a Genie." While not entirely the traditional and jump blues his fans adore, this release is Junior's deepest expression of the diverse influences he absorbed growing up in '60s southern California. Along with the expected tips of his hat to the likes of Lazy Lester, Johnny Otis (the rhumba inspired title cut), Mercury records artist Woo Woo Moore and the inimitable Pee Wee Crayton, Junior serves up tex-mex (Two Tacos), second line New Orleans gumbo ala Snooks Eaglin and a couple of truly memorable uptempo instrumentals co-written with sax man Barron Shul that you'll be humming for days. Sadly, Junior remains one of the larger blues community's most underappreciated talents, but one hopes his recent signing with the people behind Susan Tedeschi and Johnny Lang will finally bring him the wider recognition he so richly deserves.

Any new Junior Watson disc is a treat. It has been a long time since "Long Overdue", and I was excited to hear this one.

This album is not as swing oriented as his first disc. It has some swing elements, but it has more of a traditional blues feel than outright west coast swing.

His guitar playing is always quirky and inspired- this disc is no exception. All of the tracks were cut live with no overdubs, so it has a real live feel to it. His guitar sound is not as big as it used to be, I think due mostly to the fact that he has been using the Les Paul more than the Harmony hollowbody.

Junior's singing on this disc is a real treat. He is normally the guitar player for someone else, but with the emotion and vibe that he puts into this, I don't think he should stay on the sidelines anymore.

If you already are here, you probably like Junior and will buy this disc anyway. If you are not familiar with him, but you enjoy real blues (no rock n' roll added), do yourself a favor and buy this. He is one of the most important blues guitar stylists of the past 20 years.

I believe that Junior is one of the greatest living blues guitar players, and we are all very fortunate to have someone like this still living so that we can go and see him play and learn from a true master. He is a truly authentic player and draws from broader influences than many so called blues players on the scene. He is a master of West Coast blues in the vein of Pee Wee Crayton and T-Bone. This album is a wonderful documentation of a remarkable musician, do not hesitate to purchase this or any other Junior Watson album.

Junior Watson generally performs jump style blues and is a rather exceptional guitarist. That being said, this CD is more for Junior's die hard fans. Only two Watson originals as Junior chooses to cover some rather obscure blues pieces from the likes of Johnny Otis, Bumlebee Slim, Woo Woo More, Amos Milburn and Pee Wee Crayton as well as the out of place, Latin flavored, "Two Tacos" written by Felix and His Hot Peppers. Barron Shul deserves recognition for his standout sax playing throughout the CD. A bright spot in an otherwise unexceptional recording. Not one of the years top contenders but sure to satisfy his fans nonetheless.

I loved his music, and I loved his singing. Lots of soul. But Dear God... Take away his Guitar. Case in point, On calls everybody sweetheart but me, it's is the worst Guitar work I have ever heard, If it was live I would go up to the stage and grab his guitar and say "Give me that, You are going to hurt yourself." Buy it if for nothing else to laugh and show your friends what Bad Blues is all about.