LUCKY PETERSON
"LUCKY PETERSON"
BLUE THUMB/GITANES
For this, his 6th and perhaps final disc on the Gitanes label, Lucky and his band have successfully captured the sound of Memphis soul. This self titled CD was recorded this past November in Memphis, a city known for the Stax/Volt record label and people such as Otis Redding, Booker T., Sam and Dave, and Al Green. Back with Lucky are two of the key players involved in his landmark 1998 release, "Move." The great Johnny B. Gayden is on bass and Butch Bonner is on rhythm guitar. Teamed with Lucky for the first time is the popular guitarist Rico McFarland who wrote two songs for this project and plays onthree of the tracks. Steve Potts, who is also new with Lucky, is the drummer. The Late Night Horns featuring Jerry Vivino, Mark Pender, and Richie Rosenberg, also contribute on three of the cuts. Lucky, as usual, sings, plays lead guitar, and handles all the keyboard parts.The disc opens with a cover of Ernie Isley’s "Deal With It." Lucky’s use of the wah wah pedal gives this song a funky beat. In fact one of the fascinating things about this recording is that it is soul music with an undercurrent of funk running through it. It is a sound that is quintessential Lucky Peterson.
The one Lucky original on the disc is called "Tribute To Luther Allison." On this cut Lucky plays one of Luther’s old guitars in a blistering yet heartfelt tribute. I know first hand that Luther considered Lucky to be the best of today’s generation of blues musicians.
The cover songs on this record are nothing short of amazing. Lucky has arranged all the songs and has stamped his own personality on every one of them. A case in point is the Johnny "Guitar" Watson song "Ta Ta You." Lucky’s take on this one is just too cool for words. Then there’s a shimmering version of the Timmy Thomas song "Why Can’t We Live Together." Remember that one? To me, this song is the centerpiece of the disc and as fine a recording as Lucky Peterson has ever made.
Lucky duets with label mate Joe Louis Walker on Willie Nelson’s "Funny How Time Slips Away." It’s interesting how this pair has turned a popular country single into an r & b tune. There is no jamming here between the two great guitarists, just a nice vocal duet. I mentioned the Late Night Horns already and do they ever blast in on the Sam Cooke classic "Shake." Lucky does this song like something you would’ve seen on Soul Train back in the late sixties.
There’s a bit more keyboard playing here than on some of Lucky’s previous recordings. This is a good thing. It’s easy to forget how great he is with these instruments as he has focused more on the guitar in recent years. His bubbling B3 organ is magnificent in the closing number, an instrumental version of Bobbie Gentry’s "Ode To Billy Joe."
Regular readers of this magazine already know how we here at Sound Waves feel about Lucky Peterson. This new recording only reinforces our opinion. Call it soul music, call it funk, call it r & b, or call it blues, this new one by Lucky is the best of the year......again......by far.
- Bill Harriman
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