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B.B. King
Live
(Geffen)
First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2008, Volume 15, #2
Written by John Metzger
Mon February 25, 2008, 06:30 AM CST
Over the course of the past two years, B.B. King has been circling the globe
on what is presumed to be his final farewell tour. Although he has no desire to
hang up his hat and call it a day, King, who is now in his early 80s,
understandably does plan to slow down the pace of his life by confining his live
appearances to North America. Not surprisingly, then, his recent jaunt is, in
effect, a celebration of the six decades that he has spent changing the face of
the music business. His new project Live, which has been issued in
separate CD and DVD sets, stands not only as a concise, if incomplete, summation
of his extraordinary career but also as a love letter to his fans.
These days, King may be confined to a chair for the duration of his concerts,
but he still strikes a commanding presence. His backing band — which includes
many longstanding collaborators as well as a few youthful newcomers such as bass
player Reggie Richards — is magnificent. In fact, the two cuts that open the DVD
rendition of Live (Manhattan Blues and Two I Shot Blues)
are superlative workouts that give his ensemble ample room to demonstrate their
prowess. King is a gracious leader, but once he takes the stage, he also makes
it quite clear that he isn’t about to be overshadowed by his supporting cast.
Although the collective adds a funky undercurrent to Why I Sing the Blues
as well as a gospel-soul flair to I Need You, it’s King’s personality
that dominates the proceedings. His voice may be a fraction of what it once was.
Nevertheless, he remains capable of mustering a full-throated roar that conveys
the same level of passion and conviction that it always has.
Captured over the course of several nights at his fabled blues clubs in
Nashville and Memphis, Live showcases a number of tunes with which King
long has been associated — When Love Comes to Town, Rock Me Baby,
and The Thrill Is Gone, among them. Yet, he doesn’t even come close to
scratching the surface of his estimable canon. Although the individual tracks
were culled from different shows, they masterfully have been woven together to
form a cohesive statement, and in a strange twist of honesty, the DVD clearly
identifies the date and location of the recording, even if the switch takes
place mid-song.
Throughout Live, King uses the intimacy of the venues he owns to chat
in a good-natured fashion with the assembled crowd. He acknowledges his
reputation as a womanizer, and he frames his songs with tales about the pitfalls
of love and life. King has never been one to become mired in down-and-out
dreariness, and instead, his version of the blues is filled with humor and wit.
Consequently, he provides comfort more than commiseration, which makes his style
particularly well suited to such a joyous tribute to his life.
Whenever King tears into a guitar solo, he raises the intensity of the
performance. As Live progresses, he and his ensemble become a little
looser. This allows them to spin on a dime, so to speak, as they shift from the
springy, country-infused bounce of You Are My Sunshine into the slower
slipstream of Darling, You Know I Love You and from the seductive Rock
Me Baby to the liberated ambience of Key to the Highway. Although Live pales in comparison to King’s essential concert recordings Live at
the Regal and Live in Cook County Jail, it also isn’t necessarily
meant to compete with them. Instead, it complements his prior endeavors by
showing that although he may be older and wiser, King still can entertain his
audience by coaxing a range of emotions out of his beloved Lucille.  ½
Live [DVD] is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Live [CD] is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Live [Blu-ray] is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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