John Mayall, 69 years of age at the time of this recording, is at the very least irrepressible. He and his many versions of
the Bluesbreakers have hit the road every year for decades, and the five years leading up to the release of
Stories offer a flurry of activity that hasn't been seen from him since the 1970s. The
Bluesbreakers lineup here has been with him since
Spinning Coin, and includes
Joe Yuele on drums, guitarist
Buddy Whittington,
Hank Van Sickle on bass, and
Tom Canning on keyboards. Like the young
hip-hop kids who self reference ubiquitously,
Mayall writes more songs about
blues music or playing the
blues than virtually any musician in history, and
Stories seems to be a series of narrative songs that are, for the most part, about various
blues giants of the past, such as a reminiscence about seeing
Little Walter in
"Southside Story" or a paean to
Leadbelly in
"Oh, Leadbelly," various
blues myths such as
"I Thought I Heard the Devil" and
"The Witching Hour," or exhortations for young people to take up the
blues mantle (
"Kids Got the Blues"). There are other tracks, however, like the excellent political minor-key shuffle
"Dirty Water" -- no, not that one. The best track on the album is a
country-style
Bo Diddley shuffle called
"Feels Just Like Home," the only love song on the record and it's a stunner. The production is crisp, perhaps a little too, and the playing is inspired.
Mayall's harmonica playing is as fine as ever, and if there is one complaint about the last few records, it's the overplaying of
Whittington, who is a stunning guitar player in the modern style.
Mayall reins him in a bit here (though not enough) and as a result the songs -- because
Mayall is a fine writer -- come shining through the instrumental prowess. This is a worthy inclusion in one of the most prolific and consistent catalogs in
blues-rock history. ~ Thom Jurek
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