Junior Wells - Its My Life Baby (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Your Next Junior Wells Purchase

Sondra Snodgrass | Worthington, OH United States | 08/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most respectable Blues fans own Hoodoo Man Blues, and most Junior fans also have all the tracks he recorded prior to Hoodoo Man. If that's you, then here is your next Junior Wells purchase: It's My Life, Baby. In terms of Junior's highly regarded live albums, the vibe on this live set is far superior to that of Southside Blues Jam. On all the tracks there is great interaction between the band members, and, as usual, Buddy Guy is just killing it. The high point of the album is, without question, "(I Got A) Stomach Ache". I think I fell unconscious the first thirty times I heard it."

Take me back.

John W Snyder Jr | Ft Lauderdale, FL USA | 08/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a time. What a place. What a showman. The late 40's to the late 60's, Chicago's south side, the incomparable Junior Wells... Muddy, Elvis, Wayne Cochrane, Sonny Boy all rolled into one tough little cookie. This album is one sweet treat after another. If you can stay still listening to "Stomach Ache," you are clinically dead. It's a true joy listening to Junior and Buddy Guy but I really envy people in the future; they might be able to transport themselves back to 1964 and see Junior live in Pepper's Lounge."

Junior is in the house spreading the Hoodoo Blues!

SIMON AGUILAR-GARCIA | Seattle, Wa. USA | 06/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thanks to the two previous reviewers I checked this cd out and it is burning! Part of it was recorded live at Pepper's Lounge on Chicago's south side and the other at Universal studios in the same city. The live numbers add to the feel and excitement of the cd even though the studio tracks are just as good. This came out a year after the classic "Hoodoo man Blues" cd that established Junior as a Blues Force. A favorite at The Crazy Coyote Blues Power Show 1490 KOTY AM Yakima Nation Reservation Radio in south central Washington state."

See What They're Puttin' Down

El Lagarto | Sandown, NH | 06/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like beans and cornbread, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy simply belong together, and this CD shows you why. Blending traditional blues with South Side Chicago style, (plus a smidgen of James Brown influenced funk), It's My Life, Baby! offers listeners a master class blues tutorial that sounds good, feels good, and satisfies the soul. "The Blues" is a very big tent with many camels trying to sneak in. Some think Robert Johnson sitting at the crossroads is the beginning and end of the blues. Others, (God help them), think that long-haired, drug-addled white boys in spandex smashing up hotel rooms is the blues. While the blues may be hard to define, it's not quite that hard, and, at the very least, blues isn't blues unless it's authentic. That is the real beauty of this CD, not just the exceptional singing and "blues harp" work of Junior Wells, and outstanding Buddy Guy guitar, but the complete lack of artifice.

Novice collectors take note. Junior Wells and Buddy Guy are both head of the class, but not everything they recorded is wonderful. There are plenty of clunkers out there, insist on this CD and Hoodoo Man Blues, featuring the same dynamic duo. Buddy Guy, in particular, is capable of wandering far into the woods for no apparent reason. The time I saw him perform he appeared to be intent on doing a very bad, and very loud, Hendrix impression. (Buddy Guy has quite a resentment against Hendrix, claiming he discovered and perfected the use of feedback long before Jimi.) You'll have to walk a very long way down a very rough road to find another blues singer with more force and authority than Junior Wells, and, short of Little Walter, it would be difficult to find anyone better able to make a blues harp weep and moan. Quite simply, It's My Life, Baby - and Hoodoo Man Blues - are as good as it gets."

This is my favorite Junior Wells album.

El Lagarto | 02/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Junior Wells was the inspiration that changed the lives of John Mayall and Eric Clapton. Wells paid his dues in urban Southside Chicago behind frontman Muddy Waters. His harp style developed from greats like Sonny Boy Williamson, and his vocals electrified even fellow bluesmen. Buddy Guy can usually be found on the guitar credits for many of his albums. This album is a must have for any blues fan."

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