Customer Reviews

Slippin in

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Buddy Guy is one of the last bluesmen left from a great era. He is what Jimi Hendrix would have been had Hendrix stuck strictly to the blues. While he may not think he is one of the best, he certainly deserves to be up there with Muddy, Howlin' Wolf, and BB. One reason is because of this album, definitely his best in the past 20 years, and definitely one of his top three. Here, Guy delivers what everyone expects of him: screaming guitar work and powerful, powerful vocals. There is no better blues singer in the business than BG, and as a guitar player his style is uniquely recognizable, and has no equal. The best tracks on this disc: I Smell Trouble (with Double Trouble guesting), Please Don't Drive Me Away, Love Her With A Feeling, Someone Else Is Steppin' In, and Don't Tell Me About The Blues. Those may be the best, but the disc as a whole does not have one weak track on it. I happen to like the clean sound of this album. If you can make it clean and keep the grit, that is awesome. Buddy did it with this album. However, nothing compares to seeing him live. He is one of the best live acts ever! Do yourself a favor: if he's ever in your neck of the woods, be sure to go see him. You won't regret it. LONG LIVE BUDDY GUY AND HIS POLKA DOT STRATOCASTER!

First let me start by saying that Buddy Guy is from a different planet! This can be the only explanation for his six string talent that he displays so well on this gem of a recording. If I had to look for one flaw it would only be that he had switched the order of tracks 1 & 2. How's that for nit-picking? The only reason I say this is because I think "Please Don't Drive Me Away"
may very well be one of his best all-time cuts. The guitar work seems so connected to his vocals that it sounds like interplay that can only come from the soul. This track rocks! The next track,"7-11" goes in the totally opposite direction as a laid back Blues lament that shows Buddy is equally adept at rocking Blues, or slow burners. The oft covered "Shame,Shame,Shame" is probably my least favorite track on the album,with Buddy seemingly going through the motions vocally, but even this grows on you after a while. From there on the album alternates between slow, soulful Buddy treatments and uptempo Blues rockers. Some songs benefit from the rhythm section provided by the somewhat legendary Double Trouble gang. Johnnie Johnson also gets his moments in the sun on the piano. Buddy seems to click with just about everybody he plays with..as usual.. and his guitar has never sounded more powerful, tender and bluesy on one recording.

Other standout tracks include the Lowell Fulson penned "Love Her With A Feeling" where Buddy shows the great interplay of soft, pleading vocals and tender string picking. "Little-Dab-A-Doo" is a humorous original tune about a man's desire to "get a little" and the famous Fred Flintstone call before the final guitar solo is a humorous touch. "Someone Else Is Steppin' In" is a raucous party tune about two-timing on both ends that uses slightly off-tempo, gang background vocals to give the cut a raw, live feel. This is a staple of many fans and I enjoy it a little more each time I hear it. "Man Of Many Words" is an oldy, but goody with strong drum work by Chris "Whipper" Layton to drive the vocals along during instrument breaks. As usual, Buddy is killer with the guitar work. "Don't Tell Me About The Blues" sounds like a very personal song to Buddy Guy. He obviously has lived the Blues and his vocals are top notch and from deep down. The way he alternates between a slightly crackling falsetto and then, without notice changing to shouting, powerful vocals is a trademark that sets Buddy apart from most of his contemporaries. The finale, "Cities Need Help", is a change of pace Buddy Guy original about The decay of urban America and even family values. This shuffle has great rhythm provided by a piano, snare combination and it cuts loose at the end...a fine ending!

If you love Buddy Guy this album must be included in your collection. If you are looking for a place to start your Buddy Guy collection, look no further. Though it doesn't receive the attention or acclaim of "Damn Right...", it is without question a Blues masterpiece and one of, if not THE, best Buddy Guy albums available. Ok, you can return to the mothership Buddy...just come back once in a while and leave a gem like this one!

today for some strange reason i dug up this album&I had revisted my Buddy Guy&Junior Wells Album some time ago.but this album reminded me of what I dig best about Guy&that is when he is flowing by himself without trying to sound like he is trying to fit into other territory.this album has something for everyone&works."Cities Needs Help" is very direct&Political&gets to the Point. I dig how He uses his Riffs on this album that showcase his playing&allows room for solos&Him to arrange parts around it without being over produced.the title cut is a trip&has me rolling.but it is the truth. I enjoyed the overall Production,instrumentation&writing on this album.Probably the last Buddy Guy album that I can get into more than halfway through.I dig hearing Him play anything,but on Record this is the last album that truly sticks fo rme.dude has his own signature on the Axe."Don't tell me about the Blues" is on point as well.

1994's "Slippin' In" from 1994 is an even more genuine blues record than 1991's Grammy award-winning "Damn Right I've Got the Blues".
Sure, it is a shade more antiseptic than Buddy Guy's classic Chess sides, and the clean production has sanded away most of the grit, which is a bit of a shame. But it is still a really fine album. Guy stays away from stereotypical funk and generic day blues-rock shredding and actually plays the blues, and both his guitar playing and his expressive and flexible tenor voice is strong and focused all the way through.

"Slippin' In" features Double Trouble's Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon on several tracks, and none other than the late, great Johnnie Johnson is playing the piano. Johnson was Chuck Berry's pianist for many years, a masterful, versatile musician who plays slow blues, jazz, driving R&B, and punchy rock n' roll with equal briliance. He is a tremendous asset here, and his solo on "7-11" completely takes over the track.

There are plenty of highlights here, and hardly any let-downs at all. Guy has only written three of the eleven songs himself, but he does a good "Don't Tell Me About The Blues" (originally a single for Bobby 'Blue' Bland), enthusiastically and intelligently covers Denise la Salle's wonderful "Someone Else is Steppin' In", and lays down a great, punchy rendition of Jimmy Reed's classic "Shame, Shame, Shame".
His own slow blues "Little Dab-A-Doo" is another highlight, again partly due to the presence of Johnnie Johnson, and Guy's take on Lowell Fulson's "Love Her With A Feeling", and the slow, soulful "Trouble Blues" are very enjoyable as well. Guy gets off a couple of terrific, sizzling solos on Lowell Fulson's song, which he plays like a hard-hitting Muddy Waters-tune, and he tears through

"Man Of Many Words" is a very obvious rip-off (it's Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle"), and one or two of the other songs have been recorded many times before as well - albeit with different lyrics! But even blues clichés like "Please Don't Drive Me Away" and "I Smell Trouble" are very well executed and played with a passion, and the combined forces of Buddy Guy's axe and Johnnie Johnson's tinkling 88s in particular make "Slippin' In" a really enjoyable album. The grooves are deep and swinging, and Guy himself sounds like he is having a good time.

Fans of genuine Chicago blues, and of Buddy Guy in particular, will not want to miss this one. Highly recommended!

Don't know what to say, "It's Buddy". If you don't know what that means then you need to get any of this man's CDs.

I RECENTLY ORDERED SLIPPIN' IN AND WAS BLOWN AWAY BYE THIS OLDER BUDDY GUY RELEASE. I HAVE A FEW OTHERS BY HIM AND THIS SURPASSED MY EXPECTATIONS. HAVE NOT TAKEN OUT OF THE CAR FOR OVER A MONTH - THIS CD ROCKS. I AM A AVID COLLECTOR OF MUSIC AND THIS ONE RANKS IN MY TOP 25, CONSIDERING I HAVE OVER 900 + RECORDINGS I THINK THAT SAYS ALOT. BUY THIS CD - EVEN IF YOUR NOT A HUGE BLUES FAN YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

Simple to say it - pure fun and genius, I have ALL BG cds etc and he demostrates a real freshness and aptitude to handle his left and right hand while dancing. The cd relaxes me a lot and is working. Thank you.

I admit to being a big fan of Buddy Guy, and while this album does not really have any of his "greatest hits", it still might be my favorite album of his, simply because of the variety of the songs and the overall high quality of the performances.
I Smell Trouble is a great opening cut,and Shame Shame Shame has a unique rockabilly tempo to it. Little Dab A Doo, Don't tell Me About The Blues and Slippin Out Slippin In are 3 classics blues tunes, and the last song on the album, Cities Need Help, written by Buddy, adds a surprising dash of social commentary in a low key way.

How bad was Buddy Guy missed before he came back on the scene with "Damn Right I Got The Blues?" "Too badly to even say" is the answer. His playing on "Slippin' In" ranks as some of the best he's ever recorded.

Guy demonstrates the finesse, skill, flexibility, and raw power possessed by only a very few guitar players. His solos on "Please Don't Drive Me Away" prove that what those who saw him play live even back in the 60's say is true. That Guy plays like a cross between straight blues, jazz guitarist, and heavy metal. His playing on "Please Don't Drive Me Away," "7-11," "Don't Tell Me About The Blues," and "Cities Need Help" is unbelievable at times. The same thoughts cross your mind listening to him as they do when you listen to Hendrix. "How did he do that?" "How can you make that kind of sound with a guitar?"

"Slippin' In" just proves that we've got to grab a hold of Buddy Guy and not let loose of him. He's not allowed any more sabbaticals. We miss out on way too much when he's away.

WOW! I just finished listening to this, and I am blown away.
I try to listen to as many different styles of music as I can. This album is a fine example of blues.
This is what any great blues album should sound like.
Just take this album for a spin.
You can't really talk about one song on this record, without mentioning the other ones.
It starts with a great opener, and follows through to the end.
Just do yourself a favor and listen to Buddy Guy.