About Them Shoes
Hubert Sumlin
Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, James Cotton, Bob Margolin, Levon Helm, David Johansen
Engineer: Ben Elliott,
Producer: Rob Fraboni
Artemis Records, 2005
1 CD
Catalogue #: 51609
EAN: 0699675160920
UPC: 699675160920
You save: 20%
Personnel: Hubert Sumlin (guitar); Eric Clapton, Keith Richards (vocals, guitar); Paul Oscher (vocals, harmonica); George Receli (vocals, drums); David Johansen, Nathaniel Peterson (vocals); David Maxwell, Bob Margolin (guitar); James Cotton (harmonica); Michael "Mudcat" Ward (bass guitar); Levon Helm (drums).
One of the key architects of the Chicago blues sound, guitar master Hubert Sumlin is probably best known for his wiry, angular phases on Howlin' Wolf classics like "Smokestack Lightnin'" and "I Asked for Water." But Sumlin also worked with Muddy Waters, and ABOUT THEM SHOES pays overt homage to Chicago's favorite blues son with a set list full of Waters's originals and tunes written for Waters by Willie Dixon (the great songwriter, bassist, and Chicago session man).
ABOUT THEM SHOES finds Sumlin brings on a distinguished roster of guests, including drummer Levon Helm, harmonica player James Cotton, vocalist David Johansen, and six-string godheads Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. Clapton, Richards, and Johansen lend some fine vocal tracks (Johansen's Wolf-like take on "Walkin' Thru the Park" is especially notable), but Sumlin takes the spotlight here. The veteran still throws out stinging leads, distinctive melody lines, and quick, perfectly crafted embellishments that drip with blues essence. The end result is a fine tribute to Waters, and to Sumlin's own towering contribution to the genre.
Tracklist
Keith Richards
Obviously, Keith Richards is best known as lead guitarist and musical mastermind of the Rolling Stones. His modern re-interpretation of American blues, rock & roll, and country influences, along with an unconventional guitar tuning, provided the template for countless now-classic signature riffs. Outside the Stones, with his group the X-Pensive Winos, he performed and recorded some characteristically gritty, bluesy music that highlighted exactly what he brings to the Stones' musical table.
Eric Clapton
Over the course of four decades, Eric Clapton has carried the British blues legacy into the mainstream of pop music. From his mid-1960s days with the Yardbirds and John Mayall, through his years as guitar god with Cream and Blind Faith, and eventually to his more laid-back solo albums, Clapton has remained one of rock's most successful musicians. Given his guitar-superstar status, Clapton has played alongside the biggest musical acts of the 20th century, from soloing on the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," to performing at the Band's LAST WALTZ, to recording an album with B.B. King. Overcoming numerous setbacks and tragedies, old Slowhand has settled nicely into a long and prolific career.
Levon Helm
Primarily known for playing drums and singing with 1960s phenomenon the Band, Levon Helm has, in the intervening years, never fallen fallow or rested on his laurels. The distinctive singer and songwriter made the rare successful musician-to-actor crossover with memorable appearances in over a dozen feature films. He has released excellent solo albums that mine the country end of the Band's spectrum, and in recent years has made musical news by hosting (and sometimes recording) his sprawling, guest-star-laden "Midnight Ramble" concerts at his home in Woodstock, New York. Helm battled and won a bout with throat cancer, which modified his singing style but didn't dampen his artistic spirit.
