Label: Alligator
Blues
Although Alligator Records no longer exclusively traffics in "genuine houserockin' music," as long as the label continues releasing albums from Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials it won't have to change slogans anytime soon. The sixth release from the veteran foursome is another rollicking, electrified romp through old-school Chicago boogie blues. Lil' Ed Williams is the nephew of, and was schooled by, slide guitar legend J.B. Hutto, so it's no surprise that the Blues Imperials' sound is driven by the high-octane, raw, bottleneck attack popularized by Hutto and the great Elmore James. Both are covered here, and even though Williams's originals adhere to the standard blues format, the energy generated by this live-in-the-studio recording could power a small city. You can practically see the sweat dripping down Ed's fez-covered head as he charges through the humorous yet driving "Icicles in My Meatloaf" and the fast shuffle of "Broken Promises." Slow blues such as "You Just Weren't There" and "Nobody's Fault But My Own" maintain a tough edge while providing a change of pace to the party-hearty rave-ups that dominate the album. The no-frills production is crisp and crackling. It captures the excitement of the opening version of Holland/Dozier's rocking soul shouter "Leaving Here" as well as the heartfelt emotions in the country-influenced cover of Billy Joe Shaver's "Tramp on Your Street," the disc's most surprising track. The blurred shot of the band in action on the cover perfectly represents the music inside--which, as the album's title accurately suggests, rattles, shakes, and rolls.
By Hal Horowitz.
Lil' Ed Williams, although small in stature, is a true giant of the blues, and among the very last authentic West Side Chicago bluesman. From smoking slide guitar boogies to raw-boned Chicago shuffles to the deepest slow blues, Lil' Ed Williams is a master bluesman. A gifted guitarist and a remarkably gritty and soulful vocalist, Williams, along with his blistering, road-tested band, The Blues Imperials, has been tearing up clubs and festival stages all over the world for almost 25 years.
Lil’ Ed boasts a direct bloodline to blues history -- his uncle and musical mentor was the great Chicago slide guitarist and recording artist J.B. Hutto. According to The Chicago Tribune, "Williams represents one of the few remaining authentic links to the raucous but pure Chicago blues." The Associated Press agreed, stating, "Williams fills Chicago's biggest shoes with more life and heat than anyone on stage today." Adding to the legend is Ed's storybook rise taking him from working in a car wash to entertaining thousands of his fans all over the world, to an appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien (in a hilarious film with Lil’ Ed teaching Conan how to play the blues) culminating with Lil’ Ed on stage with O’Brien in front of a televised audience in the millions.
Born in Chicago on April 4, 1955, Ed grew up surrounded by the blues. He was playing guitar, then drums and bass, by the time he was 12. Along with his half-brother Pookie, Ed received lessons and support from their famous blues-playing uncle, J.B. Hutto. "J.B. taught me everything I know," says Ed. "I wouldn't be where I am today without him." Ed and Pookie spent their teen years making music together, and in 1975 formed the first incarnation of the Blues Imperials.
What happened is not supposed to happen. Not in real life anyway. The band -- never having been in a recording studio before -- treated the studio like a club, playing live to Iglauer, the engineer, and all the people on the other side of the glass. After recording just two songs, the Alligator staffers in the control room were on their feet begging for more. Two songs later, complete with Ed's signature toe walking and back bends, even the engineer was dancing. Iglauer offered the band a full album contract on the spot. The end result of the session was 30 songs in three hours with no overdubs and no second takes. Twelve of those songs became the band's debut album, Roughhousin', released in September of 1986.
Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials' next two releases, 1989's Chicken, Gravy & Biscuits and 1992's What You See Is What You Get, brought them to more people than ever before. However, after years on the road, the stress of touring and recording began to take its toll. Ed broke up the band and, for the first time, truly put his life together. After getting his life in order and defeating his personal demons, Lil' Ed reformed The Blues Imperials in 1998 to the great delight of blues fans everywhere. They returned home to Alligator and released Get Wild! in 1999 and Heads Up! in 2002 to widespread enthusiasm.
The Washington Post described Williams' music as "contagious wildness." The Philadelphia Inquirer expressed it as "raucous and hugely entertaining." But no matter how you describe it, Lil' Ed's seriously inspired music will take you on a fast trip from your chair to your feet. Now, with Rattleshake and a schedule that will take the band on another non-stop tour across the country and across the ocean, Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials will continue to shake, rattle and roll into the hearts, minds and dancing shoes of old-school blues fans everywhere.
On their new Alligator album, Rattleshake, Lil' Ed's romping, sizzling guitar and his rough-hewn vocals, his half-brother James "Pookie" Young's thumping bass, Mike Garrett's feral rhythm guitar and Kelly Littleton's unpredictable yet bone-crunching drumming produce a modern blues firestorm steeped in tradition. Produced by Alligator president Bruce Iglauer and Williams, Rattleshake features 13 houserocking songs, and captures all of Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials' legendary live energy on disc. The variety on the CD, from stomping, houserocking slide workouts, to deep, slow blues, to blues-ified country, makes this the most rewarding and soul-satisfying album the band has ever recorded.
Editorial Reviews, Amazon.com.
**
01. Leaving Here 3:28
02. Tired Of Crying 2:45
03. Golden Rule 3:21
04. You Just Weren't There 4:25
05. Icicles In My Meatloaf 5:01
06. Broken Promises 3:51
07. Tramp On Your Street 4:10
08. Maybe Another Time 3:56
09. Spend Some Time With Me 2:57
10. Nobody's Fault But My Own 6:50
11. You Know You're Wrong 3:49
12. That's The Truth 2:50
13. It's A Beautiful World 3:04
**
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