A trio of soulful bluesmasters show up in October releases. Bernard Allison steps out of daddy Luther's footprints once again to strut his own funky stuff. Sherman Holmes carries on the tradition of the Holmes Brothers eclectic soul/gospel/blues. Tab Benoit welcomes listeners back into the Wetlands with a live swampy tour of the varieties of Louisiana music.
Bernard Allison-Loving You, October 16
Bernard Allison had a big shadow to step out of. His father, Luther Allison, was the big daddy of sweaty, in-your-face, electrifying blues, a formidable presence in person and on record. But from the beginning, Bernard came out blazing, building his own pathway with a hard core blues-rock approach influenced by Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Allison has never been anybody's clone, absorbing bits and pieces of his icons, then rolling them up into his own style, flavored with funk and soul.
On his latest, Loving You, released on Ruf Records, the same label that staged a comeback for his father, Allison displays his influences, paying homage to a variety of hard-charging blues stylists. Albert Kingly licks abound on Allison’s own composition, “Busted and Disgusted.” Allison pays homage to another link in the Kingly trifecta (Albert, Freddie, and B.B. King) with a cover of King's “Four O'clock In the Morning,” sounding more like Vaughan than King. Johnny Winter gets his due on a blazing cover of “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo,” a bit slower and more deliberate than Winter's take, but still powerful and feisty. He pays tribute with one of his father's signature tunes, “Should I Wait,” honoring his father's legacy while paying it forward.
