Witness to the Blues

by Joe Louis Walker

Overview

Joe Louis Walker deserves all the respect he gets, and he gets a lot -- as a singer, a producer, a guitarist in multiple styles, a songwriter, and a harmonica player. But that doesn't prevent his first album for the Stony Plain label from being something of a mixed bag. One of Walker's great strengths is the authority with which he can play several different varieties of blues: his version of "It's a Shame" is a supremely confident, horn-driven Chicago blues exercise, while "Midnight Train" evokes the subtler chug of a John Lee Hooker song. "Lover's Holiday" (a lovely duet with Shemekia Copeland) is New Orleans-style R&B, and "Hustlin'" features some very fine barrelhouse piano by Bruce Katz. And that's just the first four tracks, in order. When Walker falters, it's in the vocal department, and it happens most egregiously on the excruciating "Witness." But elsewhere he's in fine voice, and the album-closing "Sugar Mama" is both one of the program's finest tracks and an exceptionally powerful vocal performance. His guitar playing is always a treat, and the album is solidly recommendable overall. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	09/30/2008
Label:	Stony Plain
UPC:	0772532133722
Rank:	166280

Tracks

1. It's a Shame
2. Midnight Train
3. Lover's Holiday
4. Hustlin'
5. Witness
6. Rollin' & Tumblin'
7. Highview
8. I Got What You Need
9. Keep on Believin'
10. 100% More Man
11. Sugar Mama
12. [CD-ROM Track]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Joe Louis Walker   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica,Slide Guitar
Shemekia Copeland   Primary Artist,Vocals
Duke Robillard   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Doug James   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Bruce Katz   Organ,Piano
Todd Sharpville   Guitar (Electric)
Scott Aruda   Trumpet
Mark Teixeira   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Duke Robillard   Composer,Producer
John Mailloux   Mastering
John Paul Gauthier   Mixing,Engineer
Paul Cobb   Engineer
Holger Petersen   Executive Producer
J.J. Malone   Composer
Joe Louis Walker   Arranger,Composer,Adaptation
Joe Russo   Composer
Al Pereira   Photography
Bob McRee   Composer
Michael Dangelmaier   Design,Layout Design
Traditional   Composer