Lazy Lester - Blues Stop Knockin' - 2001

Review:
Not the most nimble harp player on the blues block, Lazy Lester nonetheless connects when he's backed by a sympathetic band, as he is on this recording, his first in three years. Aided immensely by guitarists Jimmie Vaughen and Derek O'Brien (who also produces) on all but one track, the 70-year-old Lester returns to his swampy Excello label past on this sturdy release. Although it was recorded in Texas, Lester effortlessly evokes his Louisiana roots in a set predominantly consisting of covers that feature his moody harmonica and deep, bluesy sound. With muscular songs and a band who knows their way around a muddy groove, Lester is in fine, low-key form throughout. Far from energetic, as his moniker implies, he sounds remarkably inspired throughout. When he hits his mark on the slow blues of "Sad City Blues" (featuring guests Sue Foley, Sarah Brown, and Gene Taylor) or connects on the Jimmy Reed-ish "Miss You Like the Devi," his quivering voice and unamplified harp evoke the sound of those great '60s songs he turned into models of the genre. He even resembles Muddy Waters on "Go Ahead," gradually unwinding on a slow shuffle. Re-recording some of his old favorites, like the self-referential "They Call Me Lazy," is a questionable move for many elder musicians hoping to regain a lost spark, but these versions maintain the slow, laconic, if not quite lazy atmospheric vibe that made his classic stuff so influential. Not a great blues album, but a surprisingly good one and better than most would have expected from one of the blues' fringe figures in his waning years.

Tracks:
1.Blues Stop Knockin'
2.I Love You Baby
3.I'm You Breadmaker, Baby
4.Go Ahead
5.Gonna Stick to You Baby
6.I'm Gonna Miss (Like the Devil)
7.Ya Ya
8.They Call Me Lazy
9.Ponderosa Shuffle
10.No Special Rider Blues
11.I Told My Little Woman
12.Sad City Blues

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FLAC, 371 MB
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Jimmie Vaughan - Plays More Blues, Ballads & Favorites - 2011.

Allmusic:

"If at first you succeed, do it again," seems to be Austin blues/R&B guitarist Jimmie Vaughan's motto, as he returns to the well that provided a hit for him only a year before this second volume's release. Since it took nearly nine years between albums before this, it's obvious that both the acceptance of the last set, and its concept, were something that resonated with him enough to bring the same band back for another batch of covers of cool obscurities from the past. Recording in mono -- oddly not noted on the sleeve notes -- and live in the studio provides a batch of hot-wired, energized performances that do justice to songs that were likely originally recorded under similar circumstances five or six decades ago. Only the most obsessive of blues fans will recognize some of the artists such as Jivin' Gene, Teddy Humphries, and Annie Laurie who first recorded these minor gems, let alone the songs themselves. Vaughan digs deep to unearth seldom heard, let alone covered, tracks associated with better-known figures like Ray Charles, Jimmy Liggins, and Hank Williams, Sr. He also revives another Jimmy Reed cover, "I'm a Love You," something he has been obsessed with after recording two albums of the bluesman's material riding shotgun to Omar Kent Dykes. Once again, Lou Ann Barton jumps on board to add her distinctive Southern voice in duet settings and even gets her picture on the cover, even though she only contributes to three tracks, one less than last time. A two-man horn section of saxists Doug James and Greg Piccolo, both ex-Roomful of Blues, brings the jump blues titles into full swing. Vaughan keeps his typically clipped solos sharp and punchy, using his instrument to punctuate rather than drive the attack. It sounds as loose and animated as studio sessions can be, with seemingly no overdubs to rob the music of its natural spontaneity. Liner notes explaining how Vaughan came in contact with, and was influenced by, these relatively lost gems would have gone a long way to help newcomers appreciate his motivation. Regardless, this remains a terrific, crackling listen and a great party album that sounds as rollicking in 2011 as it would have 50 years earlier.


Tracks:

01. I Ain't Never [03:02]
02. No Use Knocking [03:26]
03. Teardrop Blues [04:46]
04. I Hang My Head And Cry [03:40]
05. It's Been A Long Time [03:31]
06. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do [02:44]
07. What Makes You So Tough [03:36]
08. Greenback Dollar Bill [02:10]
09. I'm In The Mood For You [02:21]
10. I Ain't Gonna Do It No More [03:48]
11. Cried Like A Baby [03:53]
12. Oooh Oooh Oooh [03:58]
13. I Want To Love You [02:45]
14. The Rains Came [02:49]

Info:
FLAC
231 MB
Password: mississippimoan

Link:
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