Playin' the Blues for You...

For my first blog sans radio station, I return to an artist I previously wrote about: the great Jimmie Vaughan. Today he lays forth his latest studio release "Plays Blues, Ballads, & Favorites". I've got on the 'phones and am checking it out as I type. No track by track review, just thoughts. This album is his first solo record in 9 years and is largely a tip o' the hat to the music and artists that have grooved him over the years. With the exception of the boogie instrumental 'Comin' & Goin'', this is a selection of covers ranging from artists like Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Jimmy Reed, Roy Milton, Roscoe Gordon and others. In an interview with the Illinois Entertainer, Vaughan talks about the new recording. “There’s a couple of studios in town that I like,” he says, revealing the plot. “I got them to call me when somebody cancels on ‘em, [so] I go in and I start recording as if I’m making singles. That’s my latest trip. I’ll get a couple songs, go in and cut ‘em, fool around with them for the next couple days, and then that’s it – on to something else. That’s what I did on this record. I just want to have fun. My music has totally always been selfish and I’ve always played what I wanted to play. I figure, if I don’t like it I can’t expect anybody else to. I’m just trying to play what I want to hear. A guy told me that once. He said, ‘Just play what you want to hear.’ I said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’” From what I'm hearing through da 'phones, this is one groovin' record. I've got some Napster credits to use but I think I want to hold the package (so to speak) and pick this sucker up later this week. That's all for now! 'Til we groove again...