Master blues guitarist has fun with his friends

Say “Elvin Bishop” to anyone weaned on 1970s pop radio, and they’ll answer “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” The 1976 single’s vocal was so indelible that many listeners never realized it wasn’t Bishop, but instead soon-to-be Jefferson Starship vocalist Mickey Thomas. Bishop wrote the autobiographical lyrics, however, as well as an album (Struttin’ My Stuff) full of soul, pop, funk and even reggae. But his one trip to the upper reaches of the pop singles chart did little to reveal the depth of his musical credentials. In contrast, his previous solo outings had featured more direct helpings of the electric blues he’d developed as a founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Struttin’ My Stuff’s pop leanings weren’t unprecedented, as Bishop had been mixing rock, country, soul and R&B into his blues for years, but its upbeat vibe borrowed more heavily from bicentennial euphoria and the party atmosphere of Bishop’s stage work than the Chicago scene in which he’d been musically bred.

Since Bishop’s chart breakthrough, he’s released over a dozen albums that have ranged from straight blues and country-tinged soul to humorous party-time sides. His latest, for Delta Groove, pulls together many of those elements for a guest-filled celebration of the blues. The title track opens the album with Bishop’s declaration of faith, recounting myriad influences and heroes and affirming the music’s future. The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Kim Wilson adds his fine harp playing to the electric slides of Bishop and Allman Brother/Govt Mule’s Warren Haynes. A cover of “Night Time is the Right Time” is offered in tribute to Ray Charles, with John Nemeth and Angela Strehli sharing vocals and Bishop’s guitar playing call-and-response. Nemeth also provides a terrific vocal on the little-known Berry Gordy/Smokey Robinson blues “Who’s the Fool,” augmented by a bed-spring guitar solo from Kid Andersen.

Bishop revisits the Butterfield era “Yonder’s Wall,” slowed here to a muscular mid-tempo for vocalist Ronnie Baker Brooks, and updates the funk of “Struttin’ My Stuff” with the addition of a bluesy rap. B.B. King provides sophistication on “Keep a Dollar in Your Pocket,” though Bishop’s broad vocal keeps it light. A pair of Junior Wells covers include the low and steady “Come on in this House,” and the strutting “I Found Out,” the latter featuring James Cotton on harp. Bishop picks a howling, distorted solo backing for the autobiographical “Oklahoma,” and George Thorogood amps up “Send You Back to Georgia” to a battle between flatpick and slide. The album closes with an emotional, instrumental cover of Jimmy Reed’s “Honest I Do,” with John Nemeth providing the high, slicing harmonica and Bishop’s slide guitar doing the talking. By stacking his guest list with veterans and rookies, and picking tunes both historical and, Bishop’s love letter connects the blues’ history with the vitality of its future. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

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