Buddy Guy
Blues Singer

Wandering around looking for a cold beer, you hear music coming from a place that just by looking at it makes you want to vomit, yet that music attracts you, that voice attracts you, that guitar attracts you, and so you decide to go in, you sit down and order the damn beer. Blonde, red, black... as long as it's cold! Finally, your beer arrives, you drink it all in one go and immediately order another one and while waiting for the second beer you ask for information from a beautiful black woman with huge breasts... you ask her "baby... who is that playing?" and she answers with a smile "he's a devil, his name is Buddy Guy". These are the images or feelings you might experience if you listen to this great album with your eyes closed.

"Blues Singer" is, in my opinion, a true act of love from the mythical and legendary Buddy Guy, and it's that album that Buddy plays imagining his illustrious colleagues and friends tapping their feet in rhythm with the notes that Buddy plays. These friends aren’t just anybody, we're talking about people like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters... no ordinary Joes here!

But let's go in order, a miracle happens here, in fact, the listener might find themselves completely baffled right from the first track of the album. Buddy Guy this time leaves the electric guitar at home and doesn't leave it because he forgot... quite the opposite... he leaves it because this time he doesn't need it, this time a good acoustic guitar and a good microphone are enough and more to create yet another great blues masterpiece. So don't expect tracks with electric guitar, but only and exclusively tracks played with an acoustic guitar.

The performances are all nothing short of formidable, but the masterpiece track in my opinion is the second track of the album, a track that I never tire of listening to, "Crawlin Kingsnake" which is performed here in a sublime manner, the thick, old and magical fingers of Buddy literally make the strings of the guitar crackle during a fabulous solo, to the point that you can hear Buddy bursting out in laughter, a laugh that is worth more than a thousand words... as if to say "Holy moly, what did I just pull out of the hat now"!!!! A spectacular track!

The other tracks, "Ann Lee", "Sally Mae" are also exceptional like all the tracks on the album. I don't understand how this album is almost unknown to most people, it's a little gem, a little masterpiece. An album that makes the aforementioned B.B. King and John Lee Hooker proud if they listen to it in heaven in complete bliss. An album "different", therefore if we take into consideration Buddy Guy's standards, but if I really have to say it all, this is without a doubt one of my all-time favorites, the album that never gets old, even someone not very passionate about blues could find interesting aspects and like it a lot. Oh, before I forget... note the presence of Eric Clapton who accompanies the great Buddy on this album, and it's about time as someone rightly pointed out, saying that finally, Clapton takes off the Armani branded clothes and dresses as a true bluesman... because that's his true nature and everyone knows it!

To be precise, it should be said that in fact, the entire album is dedicated to the memory of master John Lee Hooker who with the guitar has given us extraordinary and unforgettable emotions. The album may only seem sparse at first glance but accompanied by a mature and confident voice, it fits perfectly. On the other hand, it was Buddy Guy's intention to create an "essential" album where at some points, even the acoustic guitar is silent to give more space to a beautiful voice that Buddy Guy possesses, in my opinion.

Now, I recommend listening to "Blues Singer" to everyone, now before you open fire on me, insulting, mocking, and more, I conclude the review with one of my fantasies... I like to think I am near Buddy Guy playing this album live for me... and I like to think that between one track and another he says to me "Hey Vinny, let them give you just one star, don't worry... listen to the next piece, you'll see how many stars I'll show you!"

End of the review, Gentlemen, open fire!

VinnySparrow