Page 52 - BiTS_09_SEPTEMBER_2025

Larry McCray—Heartbreak City—KTBA
Records ASIN ‏: ‎B0F54F239N

Following a cancer diagnosis in 2013 Larry

stepped back from recording and live
performance but in 2022 Joe Bonamassa and Josh
Smith got him back in a studio to record the album

‘Blues Without You’ which resurrected his career.
This new album is again produced by Joe and Josh
and features 3 new songs by Larry and three

others by Josh, starting with Larry’s song ‘Try to
be a Good Man’ with his strong, soulful voice and
keening lead guitar – both with echoes of Albert

King. The seven-minute plus title track is a swampy blues with Hammond organ,
backing vocals and stabbing brass and ‘Bye Bye Blues’ is a great typical McCray-style
melodic soul blues. Josh and Michael Price’s ‘Bright Side’ was originally written for
Bobby Bland but is perfect for Larry and ‘Everything Falls on Me’ is one of my

favourites, a different- sounding track that slowly builds.

Josh’s slow blues ‘I Know What I’ve Done’ has Joe adding his lead guitar, while on
the up tempo ‘Keep on Loving My Baby’ Kirk Fletcher adds his guitar to Larry and

Josh’s and ‘Hangman’ is a semi-acoustic gospel song. ‘Stop Your Crying’ is a jazzy
soul blues with Larry testifying over the top and we check out with ‘Crazy World’ a

rocky song about climate change with some blistering lead guitar and more stabbing
brass. This is a great sounding album with Joe and Josh’s production really hitting
the spot and the core band of Reese Wynans (keyboards), Calvin Turner (bass), and
Lemar Carter (drums), plus Jade Macrae and Dannielle De Andrea (backing vocals)

providing perfect support to Larry (not forgetting the brass section). I’d love to see
Larry touring Britain again soon, he really is an entertaining act to see live.

Graham Harrison

Willie Buck/Bob Corritore—Oh Yeah—
Vizztone ASIN ‏: ‎B0F4WXHP4Y

Willie Buck (88) was born in Mississippi but

moved to Chicago as a teenager in the 1950s
where he heard the Muddy Waters Band and was
so impressed that he has played in that style ever

since. Willie and Bob met up in Chicago in the
1970s and now Willie is backed here by Bob and

his Rhythm Room All-Stars for an album recorded
at Tempest Recording in Tempe, Arizona and
produced by Bob, Clarke Rigsby, Kid Andersen

and John Wroble. The record kicks off with the
title track a Bo Diddley song but in the style of the Waters band with Bob’s wailing