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| Venerable bluesman duets w/Eric Clapton, Elton John, Gloria Estefan, Van Morrison, Sheryl Crow, many others. The Thrill Is Gone, Ain’t Nobody Home, Tired Of Your Jive, more. |
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| 1 Early in the Morning |
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| 2 Tired of Your Jive |
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| 3 The Thrill Is Gone |
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| 4 Need Your Love So Bad |
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| 5 Ain't Nobody Home |
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| 6 Hummingbird |
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| 7 All Over Again |
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| 8 Drivin' Wheel |
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| 9 There Must Be a Better World Somewhere |
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| 10 Never Make Your Move Too Soon |
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| 11 Funny How Time Slips Away |
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| 12 Rock This House [Live] |
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Album Review
Released the week of BB King's eightieth birthday, "80" is a star-studded duets album, the first BB has released since 1997's "Deuces Wild". It was recorded in a variety of locations in the spring of 2005 and features a variety of guest artists, ranging from the familiar (Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Bobby Bland) to the unsurprising (Billy Gibbons, Mark Knopfler, Elton John, Sheryl Crow) to the frankly bewildering (John Mayer, Daryl Hall, Gloria Estefan). Unfortunately, the material isn't quite as wide-ranging - in fact, it leans toward the overly familiar, with a pleasant, thoroughly bland version of "The Thrill is Gone" with Eric Clapton sadly living up to its title. There are a couple other bum tracks - most notably the turgid slow blues "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere" which drags on for an interminable seven minutes, or a full six minutes longer than needed to prove that sultry blues is not Gloria Estefan's forte - but for the most part, "80" plays better than it reads on paper. Most of it is solid, straightahead big band blues, firmly within BB's comfort zone and sounding appropriately comfortable - not as in boring, but warm, relaxed and friendly, whether he's playing with old friends like Bobby Blue Bland or with John Mayer, who acquits himself well as a guitarist, even if his voice is overwhelmed by BB's towering presence. There are couple of nice little surprises along the way, such as how "Ain't Nobody Home" with Daryl Hall works up a nice soulful groove or how Sheryl Crow reveals that she's a convincing blues singer (there are also some unpleasant surprises, as on "Tired of Your Jive," an otherwise fine track that's derailed by the realization that Billy Gibbons's voice has been torn to shreds, leaving a phlegmy mess behind), but the best moments come from the old guard of the British Invasion. Roger Daltrey proves that he's singing better than ever with "Never Make Your Move Too Soon," Elton John and his house band really cook on a terrific "Rock This House" but it's Van Morrison who steals the show with "Early in the Morning," a clean but down and dirty version of the standard. It's the best thing here, but it's unfortunate that it kicks off the album, since it suggests that this might be a harder-hitting blues album than normal from BB. It's not - it's a slick, stylish, professional record, one that's actually a little more straightforward than he's been at any time since, well, "Deuces Wild". Coming after some truly interesting records over the last few years, the predictability of "80" is a bit of a disappointment, but there's still a bunch of good stuff to hear, and, no matter how you look at it, for BB King to be recording and still sounding vital at 80 is a remarkable thing even if the album that commemorates his birthday falls short of the remarkable itself. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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• Biography
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Other albums by: B.B. King |
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