Lil’ Ed And The Blues Imperials – …What You See Is What You Get – Alligator Records ALCD 4808

Sometime blues recording reviewers get too stuck in their own heads trying to dig overly deeply into the nuances of a collection, searching for meaning, structure, influences, and position in the overall recorded legacy of the genre instead of simply sitting back and fully enjoying the journey of an outing.  I stand, at times, guilty as charged!

From the moment I heard Lil’ Ed’s “Young Thing” on Alligator Records’ The New Bluebloods (The Next Generation Of Chicago Blues), I was hooked.  Here was the modern-day distillation of many of the Chicago bluesmen whose slide guitar style so captivated me for years, chiefly Johnny Littlejohn, Elmore James, and J.B. Hutto (who by the way was Lil’ Ed’s uncle), continuing the tradition of a blues style that is now somewhat lost in the legions of blues guitar artists who value their creativity more within the context of B.B. King’s single-string soloing style.

Blues slide guitar can wring heartbreaking emotion out of the instrument’s six strings, and can also offer a wall of bombast and torrent of celebratory sound.  Lil’ Ed certainly is a torchbearer for those blues slide guitar virtues.  Here, he takes full control of his guitar and reaches each possible level of emotional output, slashing and driving when required for the required intensity, and then doubling-down to search and press for every drop of poignant insinuation necessary.  It is all blues art at its best.

Whether festive or somber, Lil’ Ed’s singing ideally suits the cut-at-hand, stirring both ends of the demonstrative roller coaster to great consequence; this reviewer does not believe he has gotten his due for his vocal skills throughout his career.

Lil’ Ed’s musical accomplices, Mike Garrett offering fine vocals and guitar, Pookie Young with his rolling low-end bass skills, Kelly Littleton’s solid drumming, and Eddie McKinley yielding superb saxophone, bring their leader’s blues concepts to the brightest of lights.  The whole is truly the sum of the dynamic parts.

Again, this excellent collection is one that commands the listener to just sit back and take in for all its high splendor.  It is a modern-day ride on the blues slide guitar train that provides miles and miles of satisfaction.

Highly-recommended, indeed!