Sixty-five years ago, Buddy Guy travelled to Chicago and met a young Muddy Waters. Waters helped Guy, a fledgling guitarist; find a job as a session player for Chess Records. Now, Guy, one of last of the surviving bluesmen of that generation releases his latest album, ‘The Blues Don’t Lie’.
At eighty-six years old, Guy’s voice is still powerful and his guitar playing as sharp as ever, a skillset that has been fine tuned by years of constant touring. Across the sixteen tracks on the album, many with guest vocalists Guy shines brighter than many players half his age.
Highlights include the harrowing ‘Gunsmoke Blues’ featuring Jason Isbell, with its strong statement about the ongoing problem with gun violence in America today. Harking back to the days of civil rights and the hope of the 1960s, ‘We Go Back’ features guest vocalist Mavis Staples and together they provide the listener with more than just a nostalgic look back.
‘Sweet Thing’ gives Guy a chance to pay tribute to the late BB King, while on ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’ he brings out the soulful blues that underpinned the original Beatles version. Guy also pays tribute to Muddy Waters and Slim Harpo with the classic, ‘I’m a King Bee’, and presented here with just Guy and an acoustic guitar it harks to back to the sound of classic album ‘Folk Singer’, made famous by Waters.
Guy also has fun on the album. Elvis Costello joins him on the rocking ‘Symptoms of Love’, Wendy Moten lifts the fun packed ‘House Party’ and James Taylor joins in on ‘Follow The Money’.
The term legend is often overused these days, but when it comes to Buddy Guy, it’s a fitting description. His vigour, playing and energy on this album are simply exceptional. The quality of the guest contributors and the song writing are superb making ‘The Blues Don’t Lie’ a must have album in any collection.