Search - B.B. King :: Deuces Wild

RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "BB TELLS "HEAVY D" STAY AWAY FROM

Rick Shaq Goldstein | Danville, Ca, USA | 01/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First let me point out to my loyal "The King Of The World Blues Reviewer" fans: Obviously BB is an all-time icon, but he is not in my personal top 6 electric blues guitarists, nothing negative in that statement, he's just a little too sedate for me overall. Now, moving on to the review. Talk about the word "fun"! If you could use that anywhere, it is here! BB performs "duets" with everyone from Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, The Stones, Joe Cocker, Willie Nelson, and a few others. BUT! THE MOST FUN ONE OF ALL, THAT ME AND MY SON SHAQ JR. LOVED, WAS WITH THE RAPPER "HEAVY D"! They perform a rap/rock duet, where "Heavy D", talks about making a "move" on BB's sweetheart "Lucille"! I'm sure anyone reading this review knows who that fine lady is! This CD is a definite "buy" and can be enjoyed by all ages, and musical tastes!"

Another solid collaborative effort

H. Jin | Melbourne, Australia | 09/29/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike 'Lucille and Friends', 'Deuces Wild' is a collection of more recently-recorded B.B King duets and collaborations. Once again, there is a mixture of standard blues and roots covers and original songs. If anything, the range of artists and styles present here is even greater than on 'Lucille and Friends', making it a more interesting but perhaps less consistent album.



The best tracks here include takes on 'The Thrill Is Gone' (Tracy Chapman) and 'Rock Me Baby' (Eric Clapton), two songs which were hits for King himself in the distant past. 'Baby I Love You' (Bonnie Raitt), 'Confessing the Blues' (Marty Stuart) and 'Dangerous Mood' (Joe Cocker) are other strong songs. A great rendition of 'Paying The Cost To Be The Boss' with Mick Jagger on vocals is a highlight, 'Night Life' with Willie Nelson provides a surprisingly poignant closer, and 'Keep It Coming' with rapper Heavy D is not quite as embarassing as it might have been. Interestingly, a couple of songs from 'Lucille and Friends' are present in new arrangements, but unfortunately neither 'Hummingbird' (Dionne Warwick) nor 'Let The Good Times Roll' (Zucchero) match the standard of the original versions.



A solid collection that is not quite as strong as 'Lucille And Friends'. The diversity of the collaborators means they don't always gel with B.B., although once again King proves his ability to adapt his singing and playing to many different styles. It's maybe a bit too calculated and over-thought, and lacks some of the spontaneity of the older tracks on 'Lucille...'. It's still a good enough effort, though, and will be of interest to B.B fans old and new."