CD - Elvin Bishop: The Blues Rolls On

Anyone who only knows Elvin Bishop from the 70s hit 'Fooled Around and Fell In Love' is in for a shock - this is a blues album beginning to end and is of course far more representative of Bishop's career than that fairly brief flirtation with the pop charts.

Firstly, a quick nod to the many and varied guests on the album. These include B.B. King, James Cotton, George Thorogood, Kim Wilson, Angela Strehli, Derek Trucks and Warren Hayes - that's a stellar list and evidence enough of the high regard in which Bishop is held by both his peers and some of the younger blues players that have followed him on to the scene. But do they bring anything to the party and what of Bishop himself?

Bishop has always been a very fine guitar player (and a slightly weaker vocalist) and his playing throughout this album is very fine, fiery and soulful - possibly better than ever. The use of guest vocalists is also helpful, fleshing out the sound and providing a little necessary variation. An excellent example is the Paul Butterfield era 'Yonder's Wall', presented here as a mid tempo workout with Ronnie Baker Brooks on vocals, leaving Elvin to concentrate on the featured guitar work. 'Keep A dollar In My Pocket' features B.B. King, with the added bonus of a little pre song chat with B.B about bandleader Roy Milton, the song's originator.

Most of the songs are well chosen, but another Ray Charles "tribute" ('Night Time') is a little superfluous, especially when, as in this case, it adds little to what went before, either vocally or in its arrangement. There are a couple of Junior Wells songs, with 'Come On In This House' already a Primer favourite. 'Black Gal' adds some zydeco blues to the mix, a Clifton Chenier tune sung by R.C. Carrier, who had previously played in Chenier's band. The sleeve notes tell us that Bishop also got to play on one of Clifton's 70s albums. The album finishes with the Jimmy Reed classic 'Honest I do', with John Nemeth on harmonica.and Bishop providing some lovely slide guitar

It's a very solid release from a fine blues practitioner. The album has a guest list that includes both veterans and relative newcomers, and it includes tunes both old and new. It connects a blues history with the future of the genre and is clearly a labour of love, without being precious or stuffy - Bishop's music has alway been imbued with a sense of humour. Very listenable, but given the track record of both Bishop and his guests, perhaps not as stellar as might have been expected.

And I still can't decide whether 'Oklahoma', with Elvin on vocals and solo guitar only, is the best or worst track on the album .

See You Next Review