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For more than 30 years, Johnny Winter has been a larger-than-life stalwart in the world of blues music. While purists have always lauded his respectfully keen sense of history, calling Winter "just a blues guitarist" is inaccurate. Playing the blues will always sell. But Winter didn't forge his formidable career playing just any old blues. His reputation as a Texas git-tar slinger helped him create a style that's more akin to good ol', boogified rock 'n' roll than traditional blues. His latest effort, I'm a Bluesman, adds to his sterling legacy.
The record's title is not just a declaration of longevity and purpose, but serves as a vivacious proclamation--"Johnny Winter's back, baby!" And he's here to help shake up the blues, again. Backing Winter's signature guitar drawl is his long-time touring band: James Montgomery (harmonica), Scott Spray (bass), Wayne June (drums), and Paul Nelson (guitar). A guest appearance by former Double Trouble keyboardist Reese Wynans helps kick the Texas flavor up a notch.
Bluesman blends a rich mix of songs, new and old, original and covered. The title cut is a biographical ode to Winter written by Nelson. As Nelson put it plainly, "Johnny is a real hero to me, and I wanted to do a song about his life.... It's about who he is, what he represents to other musicians, and what he's accomplished." Winter did his part to scour his personal stash of history books to unearth Hop Wilson and Lazy Lester, musicians who've inspired him since his early days in Texas (he recently relocated to New England). Winter's solo acoustic nod to Wilson is a hair-raisingly sweet version of "That Wouldn't Satisfy." The salute to Lester, however, is actually a cover of Lester's Jay Miller-written hit, "Sugar Coated Love."
Johnny's own compositions prove his blues formula can't miss. He's able to take the same old blues lick and morph it to suit his style to great effect. Take "Sweet Little Baby," a slinky slide workout he wrote on a European tour stop in Prague. And the ironic, album-closing "Let's Start Over Again" was written alongside James Montgomery and finds Winter comfortably utilizing his newest secret weapon in band, newcomer Montgomery. I'm a Bluesman speaks to both the old and newer blues fan, both retaining and pushing the tradition.
Scott Caffrey
JamBase | New York
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