Search - Jimmy Dawkins :: All for Business

The Real Thing!!!

Sam Mosley | Toronto, Ontario | 03/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'All For Business' is probably one of the best examples of real, gritty Chicago blues, the kind you hear at a neighborhood bar in Chicago. Though Dawkins only sings on two of the songs, he is still the star of the CD as he wrote most of the songs and plays much of the lead guitar. The great Andrew "Big Voice" Odom takes many of the vocals. Unlike many blues albums, most of the songs do not deal with love and women but rather social issues and living a life of poverty. Songs like "Born In Poverty" and "Down So Long" touch the rough life issues while "Moon Man" and the heartfelt "Welfare Blues" deal with social issues. There is also lots of gritty guitar playing, not only from Dawkins but also Otis Rush, who contributes both rhythm and lead to all the songs. The instrumentals "Cotton Country", "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Jammin' With Otis" are all showdowns for two of the heavyweights of blues guitar.

This is probably Jimmy Dawkins best CD, though the place to start would probably be either 'Fast Fingers' or 'Blisterstring' since they feature more vocal's from him. But this is still a terrific CD and is essential for anyone who likes gritty, 100% authentic Chicago blues."

Aptly titled cd, "Jimmy means business"!!!

SIMON AGUILAR-GARCIA | Seattle, Wa. USA | 06/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some of the most blistering in your face Blues guitar playing I have ever heard! I also enjoy that Jimmy likes to mix it up with different tempos and styles, he gets Funky, Raw, Bluesy, Jazzy without losing his edginess that makes it all come out smokin'! He has many fans all over the world, in 1971 he was awarded The Grand Prix du Disque de Jazz by The Hot Club of France for his LP, "Fast Fingers". This was in recognition of that LP being the best record for 1971 by this prestigious French organization..."