Blue Soul (Joe Louis Walker album)
| Blue Soul | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | HighTone[1] | |||
| Producer | Joe Louis Walker | |||
| Joe Louis Walker chronology | ||||
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Blue Soul is an album by the American musician Joe Louis Walker, released in 1989.[2][3] Walker supported the album with a North American tour, backed by the Boss Talkers.[4][5] Blue Soul was nominated for a Bammie Award for "Outstanding Blues Album".[6]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by Walker; he also wrote the horn arrangements.[7][8] It incorporated hard blues, gospel, and folk blues sounds.[9] "Personal Baby" is about the virtues of fidelity in a relationship.[10] David Hidalgo played accordion on "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On".[11] "I'll Get to Heaven on My Own" is performed with just Walker's voice and slide guitar.[12] "Prove Your Love" is a soul song with overdubbed vocals.[13]
Critical reception
[edit]
Robert Christgau deemed the "unsoullike, unaccompanied" "I'll Get to Heaven on My Own" as the album's "standout" song.[15] The New York Times wrote that Walker's voice "is weather-beaten but ready for more; his guitar solos are fast, wiry and incisive, often starting out with impetuous squiggles before moaning with bluesy despair."[17] The Fayetteville Observer warned that "Walker nears Las Vegas-style schmaltz on a couple of early tracks."[18]
The Province noted that Walker "applies his light-fingered, spare guitar style to a variety of blues-styling, including soul and gospel."[19] The Chicago Tribune stated that Walker has "a contemporary style heavily influenced by B.B. King and the Stax sound, an impressive ability on guitar and an appealing vocal style marked a strangely velvety cragginess."[10]
AllMusic praised the "vicious guitar from one of the hottest relatively young bluesmen on the circuit."[14]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prove Your Love" | |
| 2. | "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On" | |
| 3. | "T.L.C." | |
| 4. | "Personal Baby" | |
| 5. | "Since You've Been Gone" | |
| 6. | "Alligator" | |
| 7. | "Dead Sea" | |
| 8. | "City of Angels" | |
| 9. | "I'll Get to Heaven on My Own" |
References
[edit]- ^ Herzhaft, Gérard (September 16, 1997). Encyclopedia of the Blues-2nd (p). University of Arkansas Press.
- ^ "Joe Louis Walker Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Kelton, Jim (December 1, 1989). "'Blue Soul' Joe Louis Walker". The Fresno Bee. The Everett Herald. p. F8.
- ^ Mackie, John (14 June 1990). "A breath of blues". Vancouver Sun. p. F13.
- ^ Haeseker, Fred (22 June 1990). "Blues great waits for stardom". Calgary Herald. p. E1.
- ^ Sumrall, Harry (December 1, 1989). "Dead Lead Bammie Nominees". San Jose Mercury News. p. 1F.
- ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 377.
- ^ Toombs, Mikel (December 9, 1989). "Joe Louis Walker 'blue' despite great album". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E9.
- ^ Dicaire, David (November 5, 2015). More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century. McFarland.
- ^ a b c Heim, Chris (1 Mar 1990). "Joe Louis Walker Blue Soul". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 16.
- ^ Kanzler, George (November 19, 1989). "New Releases Confirm Status of 2 Bluesmen as Among Best". News. The Star-Ledger.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 673.
- ^ a b Widner, Ellis (March 23, 1990). "Music reviews". Tulsa Tribune. p. 9B.
- ^ a b "Joe Louis Walker Blue Soul". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Joe Louis Walker". Robert Christgau.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 482.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (22 Dec 1989). "Blues Album of the Week". The New York Times. p. C26.
- ^ Nelson, Chris (December 24, 1989). "Joe Louis Walker 'Blue Soul' Is Worth the Search". Leisure. The Fayetteville Observer.
- ^ Wyman, Max (12 Jan 1990). "One way to fight the mid-winter blues...". The Province. p. P2.
