Junior Wells - Live at Buddy Guys Legends (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

A fine documentation of Junior Wells live

Alex | Colorado | 08/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Admittedly, this may not be of the same caliber as Junior Wells albums like "Hoodoo Man Blues" or "Calling All Blues." Nonetheless, this album is more than deserving of its five star rating because it is simply a joy to listen to. Performing at Buddy Guy's famous "Legend's" club, Junior Wells comes alive on stage in a way rarely captured in the studio. Wells seems to be inspired by the presence and he demonstrates his enthusiam for his fans with some excellent audience interaction as well as a level of passion which vastly exceeds that demonstrated on his recent studio albums. The songs here, though a bit on the funky side, are all highly enjoyable. "Broke and Hungry" and "Messin'with the Kid" kick the set off in funky style before Junior gets down to business with a fine version of "Hoodoo Man" and a haunting rendition of "Sweet Sixteen." One of the highlights is Junior's take on the Sonny Boy Williamson classic, "Help Me." With only the organ backing him, Junior brings an eerie ambience to the song not soon forgotten. The harp is here, though like a lot of later day Wells material, it seems to take the back seat to his vocals a little too often. In good form, Wells is capable playing on the level of Little Walter, so it's a shame to hear his harp so often regulated to the background. Still, when he does pick it up, Wells reminds us that he is still one of the undisputed masters of the craft with very well played solos. For any fan of Junior Wells, or blues, this is a highly reccomended album. The energy and passion Junior brings to the stage make this a must have live blues set."

Junior at his best! Tight back up band. He blows you away!

H. Matthiessen | Chicago, Illinois | 06/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Was at the recording of this album. If you consider Juniors priorities, first an entertainer, second a singer, and third a harp player, than you'll realize this is junior at his prime. Rumor has it that Junior was aware of his illness at this time, and it appears that he is going out with a bang. from the openning tracks to the final note this album cranks. It will live in your C.D. player. This album is currently in my top ten of blues picks."

Buy this CD now!

Robin | Massachusetts | 11/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The title says it all. If you want to purchase an incredible album, get this NOW. Every track is five star, all the traditional Junior hits. I guarantee that on "The Train," which is track five, you will hit the repeat button a few times. Enjoy!"

A disappointing finale from a legendary musician

Blues Junkie | 01/07/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes you buy a CD, play it, & it's not what you expected it to be. So the first reaction is disappointment. You keep listening, come to accept it for what it is instead of what you had expected, & eventually wind up digging it. With that in mind, I hung on to this album for 10+ years, hoping it would suddenly do something for me. I finally gave up on it a couple months ago, & sold it to a music shop without copying even a single track.

So what's wrong with `Live At Buddy Guy's Legends'? Well, I have no idea what's right with it. Glad the other reviewers enjoyed it, but the magic is lost on me. Junior Wells is one of my all-time favorite blues singers, and was a heck of a harp player as well. His collaborations with Buddy Guy, from the funky, edgy blues of HooDoo Man Blues & Coming At You to the acoustic masterpiece Alone & Acoustic, are as good as it gets.

You can't set the bar any higher than that, & I understand that no musician is going to hit that level on every album. I think Junior's 'Everybody's Gettin' Some' album, from '95, is excellent, although it doesn't stack up to the above-mentioned classics. All the elements of Junior's best work are still there though: a blend of blues & funk, strong & soulful vocals, tasty harp playing, excellent guitar work (by guests such as Sonny Landreth & Carlos Santana, on EGS). That CD showed that Junior could still get it done in the mid-90's & could get it done without Buddy, not that there should have been any question about either.

`Live at Buddy Guy's Legends', on the other hand, goes 0-for-4 on the criteria I just laid out for a good Junior Wells album. It sounds way too polished, too horn-centric yet somehow unfunky. Junior's vocals and harp playing seem to lack his characteristic fire in the belly, and the whole CD has a kind of `by the numbers' feel to it. Amazon makes it looks like Buddy Guy plays on this album, too, but he doesn't. The guitarist is Stevie Lizard. I'm not going to bash Mr. Lizard, but I'd say that there's zero emphasis on lead guitar on this album - it's very much a supporting instrument, & you won't be thumbing through the liner notes to find out whether or not it's Steve Cropper playing. My overall impression is that `Live at Buddy Guy's Legends' sounds as if Junior was doing covers of his own stuff, in the manner that Clapton did Robert Johnson covers on `Me & Mr. Johnson'. And I don't mean that as a compliment in any way.

To anyone thinking about buying this CD, I recommend listening to the audio clips thoroughly first.

"

Search - Junior Wells :: Live at Buddy Guy's Legends

CD Details

Similar CDs

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews

	Junior Wells Live at Buddy Guy's Legends Genres: Blues, Pop Track Listings (11) - Disc #1 Broke And Hungry Messin' With The Kid Hoodoo Man Little By Little The Train Sweet Sixteen What My Momma Done Told Me Got My Mojo Working Love Her With A Feeling Help Me Today I Started Loving You Again
? Larger Image