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| © 2007 Blues-Finland.com |
| Blues, the Healer 24 October 2007 The Grim Reaper has been doing overtime in Lurrie Bell's Family. The man is not giving up, though. New album "Let's Talk About Love" is a remarkable display of strength. Lurrie Bell's road has been a long and a winding one. The young discovery showed a lot of talent, but also an unhealthy appetite for intoxication. At times, to put it mildly, his mental steadiness got a bit shaky – the man ended up living on the streets. The Chicagoan pulled his socks up, however, only to experience another blow in the form of losing a child. The year 1995 marked a strong return after all: "Mercurial Son" is still Lurrie Bell's trademark album. |
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| Life treated bad once again earlier this year, as Lurrie's wife Susan Greenberg passed away. Bell pulled himself together to play in Lahti, Finland in March. Only just about a month after the Grand Blues Festival, Lurrie's world got shaken again: father, harmonica legend Carey Bell passed on. Many a mediocre person would have lost his faith or at least succumbed into depths. But not Lurrie Bell: he set up his own record label and cut the album he promised. The artist is fuelled by an obvious source: the label has been named after Lurrie and Susan's toddler daughter Aria – it is called Aria B.G. Records. It is often said that blues helps you through hard times. Mr Bell is an advocate of this principle, as he proves with his new album "Let's Talk About Love". One who is not familiar with the background might not notice it, but this cd is definitely therapeutic. The song list alone reveals it – the man is going through his experiences. "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "Earthquake and Hurricane" wonder the unjustified instability of the world, whereas "Feeling Good" is an obvious antithesis to the tough experiences. Pure and juicy Chicago Blues is what this album sounds like. The meatiest is probably "Earthquake and Hurricane", a Willie Dixon number, one that is made perfect here by Billy Branch on harmonica and Sidney James Wingfield on piano. The beat is as steady as it should, and the stomping rhythm section makes the song grow on and on. The story of another Dixon piece is a familiar one: there is too much people in New York, Los Angeles is filled with movie stars, but Chicago is loaded with the blues! J.B. Lenoir's "Feeling Good" is one of the album's key tracks. Lurrie is known for his passion for acoustic guitar, and this is the song for the instrument to shine. In addition, Lurrie bursts his lungs in such a fashion that the walls of the Joyride Studios are probably trembling to this day. This is where Lurrie Bell really speaks out his pain, even though the message of the lyrics is just the opposite. High harmonies by Jimmy Johnson put the icing on the cake. On this album, Lurrie's singing sounds better than ever. His unique guitar technique is fun to watch, too: he is known for his exceptional thumb-picking. Thanks for the fine bass lines belong to Felton Crews. His innovativeness is especially evident on "Missing You". Felton is not a new kid in town – the bassits's career includes stints with Miles Davis, Otis Rush, and Charlie Musselwhite to name but a few. The band, which played with Mr Bell in Finland in March is not heard on the album. Grammy winner Willie Hayes's drum duty has been taken over by Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith, who visited Finland in the summer with Chicago legends Billy Boy Arnold and Jody Williams. Billy Flynn, who played on that Lakeside Festival band, has written the song "Missing You". If you are looking for something new or something alternative, "Let's Talk About Love" perhaps is not your thing. But, for the lovers of Chicago Blues, this album is a treat. All songs are covers. But let us not expect the impossible from the man who is just recovering. Perhaps the most remarkable thing in this album is the fact that, for the artist himself, it has been a vehicle to get by. Lurrie Bell is a survivor, maybe not solely, but not least because of his music. The album release party will be at Buddy Guy's club in Chicago on 2 November. After that Lurrie Bell is booked for the other key clubs of the town, Rosa's and B.L.U.E.S. Later in November, Lurrie embarks on a month-long French tour. Lurrie Bell: Let's Talk About Love. Aria B.G. Records, 2007 Bell (vocals, guitars) Anthony Palmer (guitar), Felton Crews (bass), Kenny Smith (drums, percussion), Sidney James Wingfield (piano, organ), Johnny Iguana (piano), Jimmy Johnson (backing vocals), Billy Branch (harmonica), Matthew Skoller (harmonica), Cynthia Butts, James F. Teague, Marro-Di'Jon Murry (backing vocals) Producer: Matthew Skoller Links: Lurrie Bell homepage, MySpace page, Bates Meyer Inc. (management) Song samples (mp3, links to artist's page): Let's Talk About Love, Feeling Good, Earthquake and Hurricane |
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