Chicago Blues like they said wasn’t made any more.
The Blues comes in many guises and aficionados will argue until the cows come home as to which is best and the most authentic. Personally I enjoy old school acoustic Blues and given the right mood Texas Blues can get me feet tapping but give me Chicago Blues any day of the week.
At 72 Eddie C Campbell has managed to evade my record decks until now but after listening to SPIDER EATING PREACHER It’s my mistake; not his.
As you’d expect and hope there is nothing new here – it’s the Blues maaaan; but what you do get is Eddie’s soulful take on this well worn path and he sure can play and sing the Blues.
Title track Spider Eating Preacher has a horn section and organ accompaniment that the House of Blues would be proud of and Eddie’s voice and exquisite guitar playing are just to die for. The song itself is outstanding with mentions for sin, the Devil and a Spider Eating Preacher – what more do you want?
The Ohio Players Skin Tight is sexy, sassy and soulful in equal measures and screams ‘Juke Joint on a Saturday night’ as does the BB King influenced Downtown which has a guitar solo that had me nodding my head and noodlings on an imaginary fret board like a teenager.
Highlight of the album for me though, is the slow and sensuous All of My Life which has a timeless quality to it as the narrator looks back on his relationship with the love of his life.
The album ends with Eddie and harmonica player Lurie Bell jamming and having a well earned whale of a time on Playing Around These Blues and proving that the Blues can be great fun when played right.
Eddie C Campbell has been playing and recording for nigh on 60 years but I doubt whether he’s mad an album as cool or as good as this one.
http://www.myspace.com/eddieccampbell
