JOHN MAYALL A Special Life
Forty Below Records
One of the most important dates for British blues was 29th November 1933 as that was the date John Mayall was born. In the year of his 80th birthday we have a new and dynamic album from one of the most important bluesmen out of the UK. With joyful cover art by John himself the album features eleven tracks of which four written by John, one from band members Greg Rzab and Rocky Athas and the others including covers of Albert King’s Floodin’ In California, Jimmy Rogers, C.L. Chenier’s Why Did You Go Last Night, Speak Of The Devil by Sonny Landreth. There is a nice starting tempo to the opening Chenier track that tells you that you are in for a treat here, lovely interspersed piano and accordion. Things gain intensity with Speak Of The Devil as the electrics take over and Rocky Athas is superb. On That’s All Right John takes to the harmonica and we bounce along. The closing Just A Memory is resplendent in vocal and easy piano by the master. This is an album as full of joy as the cover art is and as joyful as we are to have John Mayall with us. We counted at least sixty-six album releases in a discography (and that does not include various compilations that may have cropped up and not been accounted for) along the years since his first album back in 1965 long may you run John, and thank you.
FRANK LEIGH
