BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
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Billy Boy Arnold is one of the very few bluesmen to trace his musical legacy all the way back to the late 40’s and early 50’s post war Chicago blues scene. At 77 years young, Arnold still has a youthful vitality which has made him one of the most consistent performers whom the blues has had the privilege to bear witness.
His October 21, 2014, release on Stony Plain Records is appropriately entitled, The Blues Soul of Billy Boy Arnold. It is his second release on this Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, based label and it is a beauty. This CD is now firmly in the running for the 2014 BLUES JUNCTION Productions Album of the Year.
Arnold is paired with Stony Plain’s longtime go-to guy, Duke Robillard. It is Duke who produced this album and has his great band backing Arnold along with his own wonderful guitar playing put to good use in service of some excellent songs. This collaboration works on many levels.
There is a wide variety of material here including tunes from Arnold’s vast reservoir of originals. There is also a wide assortment of covers which serve as a wonderful platform for Arnold and Robillard to make some stunning contributions to the blues lexicon. They take some old and seemingly disparate gems and put Arnold’s laid back voice and relaxed harp to good use on these classics. It works in a big way as Arnold reminds listeners that greatness in the blues field has very little if anything to do with virtuosity. Like Jimmy Rogers' work at its very best, this album is filled with real human emotion to which virtually anyone with a soul can relate.
Old tunes that have been covered to death like Saint James’ Infirmary and Nat Adderly’s Work Song, with lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr., are given a makeover here and become essential entries into anyone’s blues library. I didn’t think I needed to hear another version of these standards; that is until I heard what Billy Boy Arnold does with them. He breathes new life into these songs and found head room in some unexpected places.
He even covers one of his old Chess label mates’ hits, Chuck Berry’s Nadine. Here our protagonist is not the young, desperate fool, full of bravado and smitten in love, but a real man who knows a good thing when he sees it and what a crying shame it will be if he doesn’t catch up with the elusive woman of his dreams. The band gives the song a propulsive rhythm that gives hope that if not today, someday, we can all catch up to our Nadine.
The entire album, which includes Arnold’s reading of songs written by B.B. King, Sonny Boy Williamson 2 and Joe Tex, is sublime and the backing support by Duke and his band gives these songs a depth and often, a very danceable soul, that should be mandatory listening for anyone who doesn’t think they like blues music.
Billy Boy Arnold is now one of the last of the Mohicans, but is far from being a museum piece or an aging novelty act. He is a vibrant artist who is making compelling music in the here and now and giving a boost to music that can use a lift.
This fourteen song masterpiece is full of surprises and has in the past few days become one of my favorite releases of 2014. Billy Boy Arnold, along with Duke Robillard, demonstrate that sometimes, not often mind you, one can throw a bunch of ingredients in the pot, turn on just the right amount of flame, let it cook for just the right amount of time and end up with a feast anyone can enjoy.
- David Mac
Copyright 2022 BLUES JUNCTION Productions. All rights reserved.
BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
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