Jimmy Burns
It Ain't Right
Delmark Records
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Jimmy Burns’
brand of blues has always been distinctive, mixing
the downhome traditional blues sound of his native
Mississippi with vintage Chicago soul (he recorded
some classic 45s in the late ’60s) and gospel music
(which he performed as a teenager with the
Medallionaires). Since his reemergence into the
music on a fulltime basis in the ’90s, Burns has
established himself as one of the finest vocalist in
the Windy City, and the blues genre itself.
The bulk of Burns’
recordings since his comeback have been with Delmark
Records, and his latest album, It Ain’t Right,
finds him back with the label. Backed by his
longtime regular band (guitarist Anthony Palmer,
bassist Eric McDaniel, and drummer Bryant Parker),
Burns is also joined by Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi (of
Billy Branch’s band) on piano and Roosevelt “Mad
Hatter” Purifoy on organ, and a powerhouse horn
section on several of the tracks. With Delmark’s
indispensable Steve Wagner behind the controls and
Dick Shurman in the producer’s seat, all the
ingredients are in place for Burns’ best recording
to date
It Ain’t Right
offers a hearty 15 tracks, consisting of mostly
covers with the exception of the two opening tracks,
the shuffle “Big Money Problem” and the terrific
soul ballad “Will I Ever Find Somebody?,” both of
which were penned by guitarist Billy Flynn. The
covers include songs from Percy Mayfield (“Long As
You’re Mine” and “My Heart Is Hangin’ Heavy”), Goree
Carter (“Rock Awhile”), the 5 Royales (“Crazy Crazy
Crazy”), Jimmy Reed (“A String To Your Heart,” with
Burns playing harmonica), and Burns’ late brother
Eddie (“Hard Hearted Woman”).
I really like Burns’
version of “Snaggletooth Mule,” a funky remake of
the obscure Bobby Stone track, “Hoodoo Man,” and his
upbeat take on “Stand By Me,” a bandstand favorite
that his fans have wanted him to record for years.
The jumping version of “Surrounded” is top notch as
well, as is Larry Williams’ “I Know You Hear Me
Calling.” The horns (Marques Carroll – trumpet,
Chris Neal – tenor sax, Aaron Getsug – baritone sax)
feature prominently on both of these tracks. The
title track is a rollicking version of the Little
Walter classic.
When I saw that Burns
was covering “Messin’ With The Kid,” I have to admit
that my curiosity was piqued. I wasn’t sure what he
would be able to add to the song since Junior Wells
basically owned it for years. He transforms it into
a simmering funky slow blues and it’s pretty much a
new song as a result. Finally, Burns revisits his
gospel roots with an inspired reading of “Wade In
The Water.”
Burns sounds
fantastic on these tunes, and the band is excellent
in support. The horn section is great when called
up, and Ariyo’s piano work is immaculate throughout.
As stated above, It Ain’t Right is Jimmy
Burns’ best release, an irresistible mix of downhome
and urban blues with soul and gospel that should be
in every blues fan’s collection.
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Graham Clarke
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