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Chicago blues guitarist and vocalist Buddy Guy honed his chops during the 1960s as house guitarist for the legendary Chess Records. The electric blue pioneer’s blistering chops have influenced everyone from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to Jonny Lang and John Mayer. His legend has only grown since his 1991 Grammy-winning comeback Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues. Guy’s new album features special guests James Bay, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards (if only the Rolling Stones’ 2016 blues homage Blue & Lonesome were half as strong as this album). Beck has a hard time keeping up with Guy, the Brit’s overdriven fills overwhelming the slow blues “Cognac,” which also features Richards. Bay’s contribution to the ballad “Blue No More” is wickedly tasteful, and the harmonica solo on “You Did the Crime” is Jagger’s best mouth organ since “Midnight Rambler.” The other 12 tracks show the soulfulness and range that made Guy a living legend. Whether he’s burning down the house on “Old Fashioned” or slipping into the swampy “Whiskey for Sale,” the 81-year-old Guy shows no sign of slowing down. Alive and well? Believe it.
By Greg Cahill
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