*** John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
BLUES FOR THE LOST DAYS
(Silvertone)
This is more of the same contempo-blues power rock that
Mayall's organization has been turning out for years. Except that this time,
the emphasis is on originals penned by the captain himself. Highlights include
"Dead City" and "Stone Cold Deal" -- a pair of commentaries on social issues
and urban violence -- and two retrospective looks at Mayall's comin'-up days on
the London blues scene ("All Those Heroes" and the disc's title track). There
are some drawbacks: Freddy King's "Hideaway" is unnecessary filler, and "You
Are for Real" (where Mayall extolls the virtues of his wife) is the kind of
sunny, touchy-feely throwaway that got him into trouble in the '70s. But at 64,
he's never sung or blown harmonica better, and Bluesbreakers Buddy Wittington,
Joe Yuele, and John Paulus are as steady as an ocean liner.
-- Mark Edmonds
|