Otis Rush
Ain't Enough Comin' In

It's a bit sad to see Otis Rush's page so empty, no one bothering to define him or review his album, as if he were the last of the losers, poor guy...

Yet this gentleman wrote "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)," one of the most beautiful and reinterpreted blues songs ever, and contributed to forging the sound of the West Side of Chicago, alongside people like Buddy Guy and Magic Sam. Compared to them, he developed a less "wild" style, both instrumentally and as a singer: left-handed like Albert King, he performs bends by pulling the strings down and bases his phrasing on a cleaner and more fluid style compared to his two colleagues mentioned earlier, giving his best in slow pieces, in addition to having a very warm voice with strong soul shades.

Despite his undeniable talents, he does not gather what he deserves, mainly due to poor recording choices that, after producing numerous hit singles at the end of the '50s, force him to recycle himself as a studio session man for almost all of the '60s. In the '70s and '80s, although he is heavily involved in live activity, he releases very little, so much so that this "Ain't Enough Comin' In," released in 1994, comes a full 16 years after his last studio album and represents the redemption of all the frustrations and disappointments accumulated during this long period.

Sixteen years of waiting well rewarded.

Thanks to this album, indeed, Otis Rush demonstrates in the best possible way that, after almost forty years since his debut, he is far from a finished artist and is still capable of making his mark.

In simple terms, "Ain't Enough Comin' In" is an album with guts, wonderfully played and equally well-produced, where Rush's guitar and voice are supported by a band in which the horns play a fundamental role, as the West Side style demands, bringing to life twelve blues tracks where every note exudes crystal-clear class. Except for the title track, the only original piece, the tracklist recovers two tracks from Otis Rush's own repertoire ("Homework" and "She's A Good 'Un") and also draws from those of Albert King ("Don't Burn Down The Bridge" and "As The Years Go Passing By"), B.B. King ("It's My Own Fault"), Sam Cooke ("Somebody Have Mercy" and "Ain't That Good News"), Irma Thomas ("If I Had Any Sense I'd Go Back Home"), Ray Charles ("A Fool For You"), Percy Mayfield ("My Jug And I") and Little Milton ("That Will Never Do"), which are branded by Otis's fiery solos and remarkable voice.

If you want to enjoy, be my guest.