Page 51 - BiTS_05_MAY_2025

REVIEWS

Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd—Young
Fashioned Ways—Deep Rush—ASIN : B0DSG-
9FTWZ
Bobby Rush and Kenny Wayne Shepherd wanted to
record together to showcase their joint love of blues
and they did this at the Royal Studios in Memphis,
with Memphis legends including organist Charles
Hodges. The first track ‘Who Was That?’ gets us off
to a blistering start – with Bobby’s on-point vocals
and harp playing, Kenny’s cutting lead guitar, as well
as organ and riffing brass – can it get any better?
‘40 Acres (How Long)’ is totally different, a lovely
semi-acoustic slow blues with Kenny’s guitar and
Hodge’s organ and Bobby singing “Sometimes I wonder what’s going to happen to
me when I get too old” – worry not Bob that time hasn’t come yet! Kenny’s rasping
electric slide guitar starts ‘Hey Baby (What Are We Gonna Do)’ with Bobby joining
in with harp and vocals, while ‘Uncle Esau’ is a funky stomper with some great brass
as well as some brief contributions from Kenny’s guitar and Bobby’s harp.

Bobby is back on his favourite topic with ‘Make Love to You’ a restrained mid-tempo
blues with Kenny’s wah-wah guitar, ‘Long Way from Home’ is a fairly conventional
blues with nice piano and Kenny’s tasteful guitar and ‘G-String’ is a blues with just
Bobby’s vocals and harp over Kenny’s acoustic guitar. Kenny’s back on electric slide
for ‘You So Fine’, and ‘Young Ways’ is their version of Muddy’s ‘Young Fashioned Ways’
(which he did with Paul Butterfield on the Fathers and Sons album) with a wonderful
solo from Kenny and we finish with ‘What She Said’ again a semi-acoustic song with
Kenny’s guitar and Mr. Hodge’s wonderful organ. On paper this may seem an odd
combination – King of the Chitlin’ Circuit 91-year old Bobby Rush and Kenny Wayne
Shepherd only in his 40s but I thought that the two worked together brilliantly, with
Bobby adding a down home earthiness and authenticity to Mr. Shepherd and Kenny
adding a little finesse to Bobby. Bobby’s vocals and lyrics are still excellent (he’s 91
for God’s sake!) and made me laugh out loud at times and his harp playing seems to
get better with every record, while Kenny’s guitar playing is first class throughout
on electric, acoustic or slide – he doesn’t hog the limelight and his playing is
considered and concise. Great work guys!

Graham Harrison

Popa Chubby & Friends—I Love Freddie King—
Gulf Coast Records ASIN : B0DSKYV1TN

I was first aware of Popa Chubby with his Tom
Dowd-produced 1995 album Booty and the Beast
which opened with a fabulous high-energy version
of Freddie King’s ‘Palace of the King’. Now we get a
full album of Freddie covers, in this case starting
with ‘I’m Going Down’ with Joe Bonamassa helping
out on guitar and with Popa’s gravelly vocals, and
Albert Castiglia joins in on the mid-tempo ‘Love Her
with a Feeling’ as well as the instrumental ‘The