Search - B.B. King :: One Kind Favor

Why he's KING

Andre Heeger | Germany | 09/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I shouldn't be blabbering here. The best thing is just to let the music speak for itself. But since you're already come this far, here we go.

From the first cooking drums with BB adding his licks on See That My Grave Is Kept Clean you know you're in for a treat. And what a treat this is!

Sure, BB had some nice stuff out lately, with all those folks playing along or having him play on theirs. But if you ask me there's nothing compared to him doing his own thing.

That is what this is. B.B. at his best. Not too fast, drums cooking in the background, sometimes pushing things a little, bass humming and plucking the pickin' rythm, keys charming Lucille, horns pulling and pushing, in short, this is it!

Need names? Just a few: Jim Keltner, Jay Bellerose drums & percussion, Neil Larsen B-3, Nathan East acoustic bass, Mike Elizondo bass, Dr. John piano, Johnny Lee Schell guitar, and of course BB himself on vocals and lead guitar - with T Bone Burnett producing.

The booklet pictures are nice too. BB looking out over the (what seems like the Mississippi near Memphis?) river, lonely railroad tracks, evening sky.

The whole set gives you the feeling of being in the studio with BB and his gang, somewhere way down south, enjoying the music.

Perfect!"

LONG LIVE THE 'KING'!!!!

James Arria | West Haven, CT USA | 08/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, to the 2 people that submitted reviews...do you people realize that this space is for reviewing an album by B.B. King??? Where the hell have you been??? Go back under a rock ok?



I just got done listening to 'One Kind Favor' and all I can say is, B.B., please make music until you are 100...this album is OUTSTANDING. T-Bone Burnet, the album's producer did a phenomenal job re-creating the sound of B.B.'s 40's and 50's music. The horns give the music and after-hours feel, and B.B. has a great band featuring notables like Nathan East (Clapton) on stand up bass, and Jim Keltner on drums.



Despite being 82 when this was recorded, you'd never know it by the way B.B's voice sounds. He can still let it rip when he wants to, like on 'Waiting For Your Call' or 'My Love Is Down'. Other times he and the band sound like they're having a ball on cuts like 'Blues Before Sunrise', 'Midnight Blues' and 'Backwater Blues'.



Even at his age, B.B.'s playing still sounds fresh and exciting. He may not sting like in the old days, but his notes still can both soothe and exhilarate.



The real keeper on this disc is the Lonnie Johnson number 'Tommorow Night' where's B.B.'s voice really hits home, and also features a great sax break.



The great thing about this album is you can sit back on a summer day with a cold beer or pour a glass of wine on a cold winter night and just let the mood and music take you away. We can only wish muscians half B.B's age would make music this good. As the saying goes, 'if you can't dig this you got a hole in your soul!'



Amen brother!!"

This Could Be His Swan Song?

H. Brown | Omaha, Nebraska United States | 09/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the introduction for B.B. King At The Cook County Jail recording, the lady said that "B.B. King is known as the king of the blues and the chairman of all of the blues singers." That was true in 1971 and still rings true today.



We have lost many of the blues legends, but the influence that BB has left is beginning to resonate and is metamorphosed to a new younger generation. Thanks in a large way by Eric Clapton's music and his Crossroads festivals, the torch is being passed to the likes of Derek Trucks, John Mayer and Doyle Bramhall II the blues will continue into the 21st century.



I have followed him since my late teens (a LONG time ago) and this SOLO CD is above average for the past decade. His recording with Clapton was great too, but here he is with a great little combo of talented artists that anyone would be lucky to have back them. Dr. John, keyboards, drummer extraordinaire Jim Keltner and ex-Clapton bassist, Nathan East.



Each and every track IS B.B. King, in his distinct vein of the blues. I pray that he'll be with us for many more years, but with the health issues he has had, this is an important disc or MP3 to own."