Search - Muddy Waters :: King Bee

Muddy Waters' final album

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 08/31/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

""King Bee" is the last of the three late-seventies/early eighties-albums produced by Texas blues guitarist Johnny Winter, and it is also a slightly lesser record than its two excellent predecessors, "Hard Again" and "I'm Ready", mainly because the track list isn't quite as strong.But that doesn't make it a bad album by any stretch of the imagination...66-year old Waters is backed by virtually the same band that he worked with on "Hard Again" and "I'm Ready", and the arrangements are superb, making even somewhat mediocre songs like the light-weight "Champagne And Reefer" and the generic "Too Young To Know" work quite well.And the good songs certainly outnumber the mediocrities:
There's the classic, shuffling "Mean Old Frico Blues", Muddy Waters' fine take on Slim Harpo's "King Bee", the slow blues "Sad Sad Day", the supremely funky "(My Eyes) Keep Me In Trouble", and the acoustic masterpiece "I Feel Like Going Home" (superb Son House-inspired slide guitar playing by Johnny Winter).3 3/4 stars...definitely recommended, although it probably shouldn't be your first Muddy Waters-purchase. But a good collection of solid, professionally executed blues music which will certainly appeal to Muddy-fans."

How come the blues make me feel so good?

Ryan Albert | Rochester,NY | 04/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like Muddy Waters, or the blues in general, grab it. You won't be disappointed. "Champagne and Reefer", "Mean Old Frisco Blues", "I Feel Like Going Home" are highlights, but there really isn't a bad song on this one."