Willie Buck
Willie Buck Way
Delmark
Records
|
Chicago blues man
Willie Buck is one of the last living
connections to the ’50s glory days of the Windy
City’s postwar blues scene. Now in his eighties,
the singer is still a mighty force to be
reckoned with, and he proves as much on his
third recording for Delmark Records, Willie
Buck Way. This is just good old Chicago
blues like they used to do it, with Buck writing
12 of the whopping 17 tracks. He’s backed by a
band of Chicago all-stars including guitarists
Billy Flynn and Thaddeus Krolicki, along with
Scott Dirks (harmonica), Johnny Iguana (piano),
Bob Stroger (bass), Jimmi Mayes (drums) Big
Spider Beck (harmonica/piano), and “Harmonica”
Hinds.
Buck’s originals
include “You Want Me To Trust You,” a fine
old-school shuffle, the upbeat “(All I’m Doin’
Is) Thinkin’ Of You,” the mid-tempo “Bottom Of
The Hill,” the funky blues “I Got You (and You
Got Me),” the stomper “There’s a Woman,” and the
acoustic “My Mind Froze Up” and “Twenty-Four
Seven,” the latter pair featuring Hinds on harp.
“I Give So Much To You” strikes a particularly
catchy groove, and the greasy funky drive of
“Heck of a Time” is reminiscent of Magic Slim.
The shuffling “The Men Ought To Learn (To Treat
The Women Right)” offers wise counsel, and the
title track is a tribute to the street in
Chicago that honorarily bears his name.
Flynn contributes
“Can’t Say Something Good About Me” and provides
superb support on guitar throughout, as does
Krolicki. The cover list includes the
traditional “Crawlin’ King Snake,” a simmering
take of the Leroy Carr’s standard “Blues Before
Sunrise” (with splendid slide guitar from
Flynn), and a pair of lesser-known tracks from
Muddy Waters (“Please Have Mercy” and “Look What
You Done”) that show the blues legend’s
continued influence on Buck’s performing style.
Chicago blues
fans need Willie Buck Way in their
collection. The singer may have gotten a
relatively late start on recording, but it
sounds like he’s not going anywhere for a long
time, which is good news for blues fans.
--- Graham Clarke