B.B. King - Live

the king is tired

the king is old and tired. when i saw b.b.king live in concert a couple of years ago for the last time (i had seen him several times since the early nineties) in my hometown mantova (italy), i went home very disappointed, because i witnessed more at a conversation with the audience, instead of a blues concert. b.b. apologied for being more than eighty, but really the concert was a very sad one. well, this cd is more or less like that concert. the songs are the same, played mostly by the band. the king plays a little, sings a little more and talks most of all. unfortunately, i bought the dvd, too. if you want to understand what b.b.king has been, buy the records published before the year 2000. much better is, for example, the live at BBC cd. May 4, 2008

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "B.B.'s LATEST LIVE PERFORMANCE DEFINES CLASS & SMOOTH PROFESSIONAL BLUES!"

This CD is B.B. Kings most recent live recorded performance. It was recorded at B.B's Memphis and Nashville clubs. At eighty-one years old Mr. King is a musical marvel. He doesn't miss a beat and seamlessly integrates his music, his band, and his amazing voice. And by virtue of this stalwart fusion, he literally holds the enthusiastic live crowd in the palm of his hand. The selections on this CD combine songs from both sides of B.B.'s menu of blues. The tunes range from soothing mellow blues to rocking blues. Just when you think B.B. can only relax you, a rumbling blue thunder that starts deep inside his chest culminates in a growling rocking blues eruption. There are also some nice horn solos by his band and B.B. shows he can still bend those strings the way electric blues strings were meant to be bent. I saw B.B. interviewed on CNN last night (2/18/08) and the reporter asked him; out of all his songs in his long career which song did he feel he was most identified with? B.B. said: "I'll tell you a secret, just between you and me, if you don't tell anyone. (Remember this is on national TV.) It's "THE THRILL IS GONE". But the secret is that I play it different every time I play it!"

Included on this release along with "THE THRILL IS GONE" are other old favorites such as "WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN" with B.B. sharing with the audience some inside info about the creation of that song. He also records "YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE" and "WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN" for the first time ever. I recommend this CD to people of all age groups and all types of music lovers. B.B.'s talent and performance on this CD bridges all generations and genres. I truly believe Mr. King has found the "BLUES-FOUNTAIN-OF-YOUTH" and when the last song on the CD "WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN" plays you're ready to jump in line and follow his parade wherever it may lead!

February 21, 2008

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