By Cornbread


ELVIN BISHOP -
DON'T LET THE BOSSMAN GET YOU DOWN!
{1991 | Alligator Records}

Elvin Bishop has been writing songs, and singing, and playing guitar, and recording blues for almost 40 years. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942, Bishop's early gig as bluesman and founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the 1960s led him to the infamous Fillmore sessions and playing with the who's who of blues.

This CD is the second of five recorded on Alligator.

Elvin Bishop, Guitar and Vocals | Reynaldo "Daddy Ray" Arvizu, Alto and Tenor Sax, Congas
Ed Earley, Trombone | Randy Forrester, Keyboards | Karl Sevareid, Bass
Gary Silva, Drums with Stevie Gurr, Guitar & Harmonica | Johnny Bamont, Tenor Sax
Luther Tucker, Guitar on Just Your Fool | The Carptones, Background Vocals

1. Fannie Mae (3:18) - a fast paced, high energy blues song with great singing, guitar playing and harmonica blowin' - could you ask for more?

2. Don't Let The Bossman Get You Down (2:48) - a tasteful blues song served up Chicago style combined with some horns, the real treat is the guitar parts.

3. Murder In The First Degree (3:08) - a piano, boogie-woogie tune.

4. Kissing In The Dark (2:44)

5. My Whiskey Head Buddies (5:23) - starts off as a talking song for about 2 minutes and leads into a good song. More singing and guitar playing, less talking - if any - would have been better.

6. Stepping Up In Class (2:56) - more of a rockabilly song than Chicago blues, it had a nice flaver to it, I liked it.

7. You Got To Rock 'Em (4:10) - lots of horn, backing vocals, almost a rap vocal to it. I didn't like it.
8. Come On In This House (3:09) - now this is more like it. Smokin' red-hot blues.

9. Soul Food (2:45) - this is a hard song to call, hard playing guitars and 50's like vocals. It's a unique song, also kind of a rockabilly feel.

10. Rollin' With My Blues (3:38) - this too is a hard song to classify, Bishop mixes in a bit Country, horn playing throughout and a heavily distorted guitar solos. Good homage to the blues God's past and present.

11. Devil's Slide (2:57) - slow guitar instrumental with high level of intensity, one of the better songs.

12. Just Your Fool (2:42) - Bishop started on a high note and ended on a higher note. Fantastic song.

This is a pretty good CD and worthy of going out and spending your hard earned money on. Some of the songs were really good, some weren't as good.

Rating 4.073

Ciao' for now, peace.
Peter 'Cornbread' Cohen, CBP