2017 – Forty Below
Records
By Phillip Smith;
May 12, 2017
I’m always happy to hear new
material from John Mayall,. With his latest album, Talk About That, Mayall
nails down another winner in a long string of rock-solid blues albums. Returning to record the eleven track jewel with
Mayall is guitarist Rocky Athas, bassist Greg Rzab, and drummer Jay Davenport.
Mayall lays
down seriously groovy keyboard riffs alongside Rzab’s thick and saucy bassline in title track, “Talk About That”. I love it when he breaks out that juicy
Bourbon Street blues with the deliciously horn-rich “Gimme Some of That
Gumbo”. Athas delivers a searing guitar performance which brings this one
home. When Mayall plays the harmonica in the Jimmy Rogers All Stars cover, ”Goin’ Away Baby”, it sounds so damn
good. This is one killer blues song
indeed. His piano performance on life-questioning
“You Never Know” is quite delightful too. I get lost in the stirring sounds of “Blue
Midnight”. Its vibrant and intoxicating rhythm pulls me deeply in.
For “The Devil Must Be Laughing”
and “Cards on the Table”, Mayall
enlists non-other than the fabulous Joe
Walsh to play guitar. Both are
rather outstanding and capture the legendary Walsh sound.
Talk About That
is an enchanting album which showcases a wonderful set of Mayall masterminded blues.
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