Published on Mar 30, 1999
As much as I love the blues, the one variation I’ve never quite
warmed up to was when the harmonica is the lead instrument. It’s
not that I’ve hated hearing this, but I’ve never quite heard
anything that has blown me away. In fact, it wasn’t until I heard
John Popper trying to suck the reeds out of his harps with Blues
Traveler that I knew just what could be accomplished with these
things.
Carey Bell is a bluesman who is out to change that. He’s got an
impressive resume: educated in the ways of the harp by Big Walter
Horton and Sonny Boy Williamson, toured with the likes of Muddy
Waters and Willie Dixon, took part in the “summit” of blues
harmonica wizards on the album
Harp Attack!
With his latest release,
Good Luck Man, Bell tries to inject the enthusiasm of the
live show into the studio. While that translation doesn’t always
work, it is, overall, a decent enough blues album.
The opening track, “My Love Strikes Like Lightning,” is one of
the best songs on the album, and is a great way to kick things off.
The interplay between Bell and lead guitarist Steve Jacobs is fun
to listen to; you can hear a chemistry between the two bandmates
that isn’t always present in a band, blues or otherwise.
The first portion of the album – including tracks like “Sleeping
With The Devil,” “Bell Hop” and “Love Her, Don’t Shove Her” –
remain some of
Good Luck Man‘s strongest moments. Bell’s harmonica work and
vocals both shine in these tracks – even though nothing tops Bell’s
live performances.
Things get a little bogged down midway through the album, though
the title cut is a decent enough effort. Songs like “Bad Habits,”
“Hard Hearted Woman” and “Teardrops” all seem to melt together,
providing nothing that stands out on the tracks. However, Bell and
crew show the lag is only temporary on other cuts like “I’m A
Business Man” and “Going Back To Mississippi”.
The inclusion of two instrumentals on
Good Luck Man – “Double Cross” and “Bell Hop” – give the
band ample room to break loose and just jam free, but these moments
seem to pass all too rapidly. While I’m not suggesting that Bell
shouldn’t sing (he’s a better vocalist than some may give him
credit for), it almost seems like when it’s just stripped down to
the instruments, things flow more naturally. (To be honest, I would
think that an all-instrumental album from Bell may be a tad boring
– Bell uses some vocal tricks to keep the listener on their
toes.)
The only real negative about
Good Luck Man is that it does fail in capturing the pure
energy of the live show and translating it to your living room.
Sure, you’ll get a good idea of the capabilities of Bell and his
backing band, but Bell’s stage presence and tone must be heard in
person to be appreciated. I speak from experience.
Good Luck Man proves that Bell is a talent in the blues
field who has not been given the credit he deserves – but if he
wants to win over more people, he may want to seriously consider
doing a live album in the near future.