Search - Johnny Young & His Friends :: Johnny Young & His Friends

Nice down-home blues

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 01/17/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Compiling tracks from a handful of different Chicago sessions, "Johnny Young And His Friends" is a primarily acoustic affair which features guitarist, singer and mandolinist Young backed by various harpists (Big John Wrencher, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton), and occationally piano and drums. Robert Nighthawk also guests on one song, "Meet Me In The Bottom".



Incorporating bits of various other blues tunes (melody and lyrics alike), "Johnny Young And His Friends" isn't the most original, or indeed the most varied, blues record of all time.

The songs vary from the ridiculous (an incredibly daft "Humpty Dumpty" which makes you wonder how Otis Spann managed to play so well when he ought to have been paralyzed by hysterical fits of laughter) to the excellent (a superbly arranged "Prison Bound", a swinging country blues titled "Sugar Farm Blues", and the electric "Did You Get That Letter?").



But the vast majority of what is here is good, solid, well-played blues with a traditional flavour. No big surprises, and it gets a little bit monotonous if you listen to the entire 18 songs in a row, but the individual songs are almost all good, even though there is nothing with the obvious hit potential of Willie Dixon's or Jimmy Reed's best songs."