Search - Eddy Clearwater :: Chief

This great Eddy Clearwater album is a romp through the blues and many of its permutations. The Mississippi native, whose name is an ode to Muddy Waters, comes by his blues naturally. He's able to take the standard forms into new territory without losing the essence of the music's truth. His song "I Wouldn't Lay My Guitar Down" is everything that Chuck Berry would like to have done in the 1980s. "Chills" goes the other way, evoking the great T-Bone Walker with its single-string leads and swinging feel. The guests--Carey and Lurrie Bell, Lafayette Leake, and Casey Jones among them--are indicative of Clearwater's respect in the Chicago community. The Chief may be a modern blues album, but it's built on foundations as ageless as cotton fields and hard work. Too long overlooked, its availability on CD is a welcome addition to the blues world. --Robert Gordon