Search - B.B. King :: Spotlight on Lucille

For what it is- it is the best

ty7777 | USA | 09/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cut between 1960 and late 1961 this is one of the King's most brilliant works. It is all instrumental and all perfect. So maybe all the songs don't sound different from each other to an untrained ear. However this couldn't be a classier album. If you enjoy the horn layden [ extremely tasteful and unintrusive horns ] blues, this is it. It is blues that blues lovers and jazz lovers of all kinds can listen to. The Bobby Bland fan- the Tony Bennet fan, the guitar player, the piano player, the human being with taste-Anybody! 43 minutes long. Good with headphones or without. This is one of my absolute favorites. It shines and swings and stings. Tougher tone than lucille usually takes but it is okay, it works. This is a masterpiece of a record with no dullness at all. It makes sure that you don't get bored listening casually or intently. B.B. has a lot of records that are sort of- more of the same. Good stuff, or great stuff, but same stuff. This is sort of a breath of fresh air in the catalog. No it doesn't have that great booming voice with the exciting high notes thrown in here and there. But it doesn't have any downfalls in what it does have- perfect blues music with style and soul and class. Nothing quite as beautiful and brilliantly crafted as his instrumental ''Blues Boys Tune'' from his Blues on The Bayou album but just as bright and with tremendous energy. B.B. Picks the licks with pure intuition on all albums, this is no exception even if it is not as signature as some of his other records. It is completely based off of feel and touch music, not technical logic, and as always it works perfectly and probably better that way. Whoever played bandleader kept the horns tight and let Lucille take the spotlight with whatever she wanted to play. The other instruments at hand are totally sympathetic to her needs as well. I recommend this album for anybody who wants something that sounds good."

Schooling for guitar players

68plexi | mill valley, ca | 03/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I suspect that many of BB's listeners are, like myself, amateur (or professional) guitar players. This CD has enough brilliant musical ideas to keep a player occupied for quite a long time. A lot of it can sound deceptively simple and easy to play but the beautifully musical way BB shifts back and forth between major and minor scales and blues and jazz licks is awe inspiring. If all a player ever learns is the stuff BB plays on this disc it'll be more than enough."

Highlights B.B. King as a superb instrumentalist.

WillieJohnsonDick | Wangerville | 06/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an all instrumental sampler from BB's classic 50's and 60's lp's, no vocals. B.B. seems inspired, and improvises a bit on a jazz level. B.B. is backed on each track by inoovating big bands, with jazz or swing based arrnagements, which feature jazz horn solos written in teh arrangements. This is a great cd taht casts BB in the light of a jazz/blues guitarists, and prooves he's a pretty gutsy player, in the smoothest & most accesible way possible. Fun rumblin' blues and jazz."