I have followed Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials since hearing their raucous track “Young Thing” on Alligator Records' mid-80's anthology, The New Bluebloods.  They were one of the first blues bands that I got to see live and their performance still ranks as one of the best I've ever seen. 

I even had one of Alligator's bright yellow Lil' Ed t-shirts back in the day (my daughter wears it now), so I guess you could say that I have been an “Ed Head” dating back to the mid-'80s. 

It's hard to believe that all of this got started in 1975, with the present incarnation of the band (Lil' Ed Williams – guitar/vocals, Michael Garrett – guitar, James “Pookie” Young – bass, Kelly Littleton – drums) remaining intact since 1988. 

They are still making mighty fine music, as evidenced on their 10^th Alligator release, Slideways, a 13-track set mostly written or co-written by Williams (with his wife Pam or Camine Cervi), with keyboard phenom Ben Levin guesting on eight of the tracks.

The lively “Bad All By Myself,” the album's first single, kicks things off, a good-natured shot of blues about moving on from a relationship without breaking stride.  “One Foot On The Brake, One On The Gas” is another amiable blues, with lots of Williams' fierce slide guitar driving the song, and “The Flirt In The Car Wash Skirt” is a rowdy rocking blues that introduces Levin on piano, a dynamic complement to the proceedings. 

The slow blues, “Homeless Blues,” written by Chicago pianist Willie “Long Time” Smith, features Levin on B3 with Williams lamenting the plight of the homeless, as serious now as it was when Smith wrote the tune in the late 1940s. 

“13^th Street and Trouble” is a spirited blues about a street that you'd best put in your rear view mirror, and “Make A Pocket For Your Grief” is on the soulful side with Williams offering advice no doubt pulled from personal experience. 

“More Time” is a fine tune about something that none of us seem to have enough of, showcasing Levin on piano with Garrett also contributing a guitar solo. The mid-tempo “If I Should Lose Your Love” offers plenty of Williams' sparkling slide guitar, while the blues burner “Wayward Women” teams Williams' fretwork with Levin's B3 with excellent results.  Whoever decided to add Levin to the mix on these selected tracks deserves kudos.

The jaunty “Crazy Love Affair” finds Williams and Garrett again exchanging guitar solos and Levin adding a crisp piano break. “Cold Side Of The Bed” is a gritty Windy City shuffle with stinging lead work from Williams, and the funky “What Kind Of World Is This?” comments on the current state of affairs. 

The closer, “You Can't Strike Gold From A Silver Mine,” is a slide-driven boogie tune that offers sage advice within its lyrics.

Some 40 years after I first discovered Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials, I still can't get enough of his good-time, genuine  houserocking music and splendid slide guitar.  I'm pretty sure that will be the case with any blues fans who give Slideways a listen. 

--- Graham Clarke