Leslie West - Blues To Die For (2003)
On this "Blues To Die For", West tackles some blues standards, courtesy of John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Muddy Waters and the like. Not exactly a novel idea for Mike Varney's Blues Bureau International label (Rick Derringer and Pat Travers have done pretty much the same), and the concept might be wearing a bit thin by now. But it's clear that West is the perfect man for the job.
Leslie West may be only half the man he used to be (in size, that is), his voice and guitar skills haven't suffered at all. I'm not really happy with the choice of songs: "I'm Ready", "Talk To Your Daughter" or "Born Under A Bad Sign" have been done to death and frankly, listening to the umpteenth version of these songs is becoming a bit boring. But there's no denying that West's raspy vocals and soulful guitar playing do these classics justice. I wouldn't have minded some more variation, though (some more slow blues tunes would have been nice).
As for the arrangements of the songs, West rarely strays very far from the classic versions, as if he's afraid of damaging their legacy in some way. John Lee Hooker's "Crawlin' Kingsnake" is a great opener, with West's amusing take on Hooker's growling voice. One of the better tracks on the album. Despite my reservations towards the choice of "Boom Boom", it's done really well, as is Muddy Waters' "Mean Mistreater". "Hellhound On My Trail" (originally by Robert Johnson) features a fabulous guitar sound, and is much better than Eric Clapton's recent version of the song. Probably my favourite track of the album. "I Got The Blues" is not actually a song, but West talking about his childhood and telling us (in his smoky voice) how he got to love the blues. This story is interlaced with some tasty guitar licks. Album closer, B.B. King's "Why I Sing The Blues" follows naturally, and seems to be West's justification for recording this album.
Tracklist
1. Crawlin' Kingsnake 05:08
2. Boom Boom 04:31
3. Mean Mistreater 05:47
4. I'm Ready 04:55
5. Talk To Your Daughter 03:59
6. Don't Start Me Talkin' 05:48
7. Hellhound On My Trail 04:03
8. Born Under A Bad Sign 03:39
9. Down By The River 04:16
10. I Got The Blues 04:35
11. Why I Sing The Blues 08:36
Musicians
Leslie West: Rhythm, Lead and Slide Guitars and Vocals
Aynsley Dunbar: Drums
Gunter Nezhoda: Bass
Kevin Curry: Rhythm Guitar
5 years ago