I'll Play the Blues for You by Albert King and John Lee Hooker

This CD is a keeper. The first time I put it in the CD player, I knew. I had to keep this CD. It is just really good. Who would've thought I would be saying this 3 months into this project? I have never listened to the blues as much as I have since I started this. I can't say I will always like the blues that I listen to but I like this one. It is an interesting CD. It is a live recording done in Chicago. The first four songs are by Albert King and the last five songs are John Lee Hooker. It's a cool arrangement. I don't know much about either men but according to Mark B. (one of my followers who knows a lot more about the blues than I ever will) they are both great guitarists and blues singers. I have heard of John Lee Hooker before but never Albert King. Albert King, according to some of the stuff I have read, had influenced a lot of blues guitarists but also people like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

My favorite song by Albert King is "The Very Thought of You." I couldn't find a version on YouTube of him singing it, there are a lot of versions out there though by people like Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday. I did include a link to him singing "Born Under a Bad Sign," which he is famous for and is also on the CD. I like "The Very Thought of You" because it is just a sweet song and from this song you can tell it is a live recording. He starts to sing and you can barely hear him, it does start pretty low. Then you can hear him clear his throat and he is much stronger. It just really makes it plain that this is a live recording, nothing is taped over or redone here. My favorite song by John Lee Hooker has got to be "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." One of my younger coworkers saw this CD and that song and said "That's George Thoroughgood's song." I can say to him though, John Lee Hooker recorded it first. That song is the other link below. I just think, how can you hear that song and not smile, just a little.

"I ain't seen my baby since night before last
I wanna get drunk till I'm off of my mind
One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer"

Gotta love the sentiment.

Ross loved the blues and jazz a lot. I am sure that is why he bought this CD. It's a CD that is cool in the way it is recorded with the two guys on it. In addition, it is another CD where it says in the liner notes, if you can't see the blues live then this CD is the next best thing. Sounds like seeing blues live with guys like these is darn near impossible since most of them are dead or close to it! Might as well get all the live CDs you can of them. If only I had some bbq ribs, a dark smoky room, and one bourbon, one scotch, one beer to go with these CDs. Then it would be perfect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIvka3SSv9Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKJ-lBOFYrQ