B.B. King
Indianola Mississippi Seeds

Finally, there's talk about Blues. You know about B.B. King's long career; there are albums for every taste. We, his fans and listeners, identify his best albums as those live ones like “Live in Cook County Jail” or “Live at the Regal,” but it must be said that some studio albums are real gems, and the one today is an authentic masterpiece, namely “Indianola Mississippi Seeds” from 1970, where it represents one of King's first studio successes. In fact, the album, with fewer tracks compared to his later studio works, seems almost like a large container of themes and great riffs and guitar solos, but also surely of great production techniques and great surprises, starting from the first track where we hear B.B. King at the piano singing a slow church hymn, which after a minute and a half is interrupted by a great piece like “You're Still My Woman” with a great guitar riff as only B.B. King can do. As an album, it is also famous for having launched tracks that have become classics like the aforementioned “You're Still My Woman” or “Chains and Things” and also “Hummingbird.”

GEMS

The gems of this album are without a doubt “Chains and Things,” a desperate blues song against slavery that takes you back to the cotton fields of a few decades earlier, one of the king's most melancholic songs, then “Hummingbird,” which is a blues with some funky notes but that towards the end flows into a particular gospel dedicated entirely to a hummingbird that, however, acts as a metaphor for a love that does not fly away from memories. The final gospel (in my opinion) remains one of the highest moments of the king's career because the gospel voices combined with King's solo result in something sweet yet appealing, making this final moment almost a hymn of freedom. The song, after all, remains stunning even without the unexpected final gospel, but this last touch makes it unforgettable.

WHY IT'S NOT FAMOUS OR REMEMBERED AS AN ALBUM

Simply because it was reissued very few times on CD, and it's extremely difficult to find, especially in Italy, but you can easily listen to and fully enjoy it on Spotify and YouTube.

CONCLUSIONS

It remains one of the most unknown albums of the king's immense career, but even though it has produced well-known tracks performed many times by him at his concerts, the fact remains that this album deserves a remaster and a more in-depth listening to understand that King's albums are wonderful, even those recorded in studio, not just live. Thank you very much.