Muddy Waters
I'm Ready
(Epic/Blue Sky/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, September 2004, Volume 11, #9
Written by John Metzger
Following the remarkable success of Hard Again, Muddy Waters rejoined Johnny Winter in the same Connecticut recording studio for a session that resulted in I’m Ready. Given how well everything worked the first time, it wasn’t surprising that little changed in the duo’s approach to the new album. The backing band, however, was slightly different — Bob Margolin had switched from guitar to bass; Jerry Portnoy and Big Walter Horton had replaced James Cotton on harp; and Jimmy Rogers was added on guitar — and this was what largely kept the outing from becoming a redundant affair.
Like its predecessor, I’m Ready offered some rather resplendent
performances of both old and new material, and the triple guitar attack provided
by Winter, Rogers, and Waters lent the collection a fiery sense of urgency that
mirrored the passion and conviction of the blues legend’s stirring vocals.
Highlights included the title track’s spectacular harp-heavy indulgences as well
as the snarling guitars that laced tunes like Copper Brown and Mamie,
but truth be told, there was nary a dud in the bunch. Even the bonus tracks that
have been tacked onto the conclusion of the recent reissue are suitably
stunning, ranging from the smoldering No Escape from the Blues to the
intoxicating sorrow of That’s Alright. The end result is that the
oft-overlooked I’m Ready is now even more of a worthwhile second chapter
in the vital Winters-Waters catalog than it was in its prior incarnation. 
Of Further Interest...
James Cotton - Vanguard Visionaries
Bob Margolin - In North Carolina
I'm Ready is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box