4.0 out of 5 stars
Way Back, my review from Barcelona, June 19, 2007
This review is from: Way Back (Audio CD)
I've been liking Willie "Big Eyes" Smith for many years, since the times when he was drummer in the Muddy Waters band (from 1961 to 1964 and from 1968 to 1980, when he left to form The Legendary Blues Band in which he played drums with other Waters's band members). But Smith is also a great blues harmonica player and in this record we have the occasion to hear him playing the two instruments, both sensationally, as well as listening to his marvellous voice. He stands out as a prime exponent of the Chicago Blues and Shuffle. In addition, Smith is an asset to any band as a songwriter as well. This "Way Back" is a great laid back Blues record which features the great Pinetop Perkins on piano, the master harp player James Cotton and the great Bob Margolin on guitar among others. They play in the original songs as well as in the covers, like Jimmy Reed's "Don't say no more", Waters's fast shuffle " Read way back", a good harp demonstration in Walter Jacob's "Tell me mama", the sensational Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't start me talkin'", and pure Chicago Blues in "I want you to love me", a good and well known song by an unknown Billy Flynn. Among the originals I find great the classical Chicago Blues "I don't trust you man", with a great piano by Perkins, "Lowdown Blues", "Woman's world", "Blues and Trouble", a duo with harmonica by Smith and a great acoustic guitar accompaniment by Bob Margolin, Chicago shuffle everywhere in "If you don't believe I'm leaving" and of course the slow "Eye to eye", a Smith highlight. In a few words, a very good record, I recommend it to all Blues lovers.
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