Compared to his seminal Chess recordings, this cross-section of Chicago blues patriarch Muddy Waters` 1976-80 work for the Blue Sky label is hardly indispensable, but it`s a massive improvement on his late `60s psychedelic experiments. Producer Johnny Winter had the good sense to recruit longtime Waters associates such as harpists Big Walter Horton and James Cotton, pianist Pinetop Perkins and drummer Willie ”Big Eyes” Smith for the guitarist`s four Blue Sky albums, building a powerful band sound on ”Jealous Hearted Man” and ”Who Do You Trust.” Another veteran Waters cohort, guitarist Jimmy Rogers, joins in on ”Mamie,” Muddy unleashing some slashing slide, and the mid-tempo ”Forever Lonely” finds Waters roaring while Winter handles lead guitar. Acoustic remakes of his early classics ”I Can`t Be Satisfied” and
”I Feel Like Going Home” sound tame, however, as Winter tries too hard to recreate Waters` trademark licks.
Ratings:
Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Fair (STAR)(STAR)
Poor (STAR)
