Buddy Guy may be 74 years young, but this man is not old or tired--and this is no nostalgia act. A dozen dynamite songs loaded with amazing guitar work, passionate vocals and a great band adds up to a top-notch release. From the opening notes of the opener "74 Years Young" Buddy hits it out of the park on every song--the bragging, the storyteller, the guitarist with power and style and fire. I've listened to it half a dozen times now, and each time I'm literally exhausted by the energy and the effort Buddy puts fourth here. The band is super tight. The songs are all written or co-written by drummer and producer Tom Hambridge, who along with Michael Rhodes on bass, David Grissom on second guitar, and Reese Wynans on keyboards make up the Buddy Guy Band. Special guests include B B King on the wonderful "Stay Around A Little Longer," Carlos Santana adding a beautiful lyrical Latin-styled turn on "Where The Blues Begins," The Memphis Horns making things pop on "On The Road," and Wendy Moten and Bekka Bramlett adding backing vocals on three tracks. Then way too soon everything closes with this fabulous burning song "Skanky" where Buddy shows that he hasn't lost anything at all. He started out with Raful Neal in Louisiana nearly 60 years ago, and he has been one of the top guitarists around for over 50 years, and on this cd Buddy Guy reminds the world that he isn't done yet. Go see him live when you get a chance, even though he sometimes talks a little too much, because he's one of the GIANTS and they won't always be here among us.
You can buy this wherever blues cds are sold.
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