Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - Rattleshake
(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Artist: Lil' Ed & the Blues ImperialsEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2006-06-27
Music Label: Alligator Records
Soundtracks:
- Leaving Here
- Tired Of Crying
- Golden Rule
- You Just Weren't There
- Icicles In My Meatloaf
- Broken Promises
- Tramp On Your Street
- Maybe Another Time
- Spend Some Time With Me
- Nobody's Fault But My Own
- You Know You're Wrong
- That's The Truth
- It's A Beautiful World
Free Music Notes for Rattleshake
Free Music Review: Rattleshake contains jovial melodies and tough blues
Hit: 4 Stars
Blues is full of misconceptions and stereotypes. Those predetermined perspectives become altered once you get to know the sincerity of the music and its artists. Chicago's wicked slide guitar master Lil' Ed Williams is one artist who puzzles his audience. Under the guise of a careless fool, there is a complex man musically, spiritually, and personally. Ed's tight-knit band have been playing together for so long, they know their every move. Listen as the rhythm section - Kelly Littleton (drums) and James "Pookie" Young (bass) - locks tightly into each groove while Mike Garrett (guitar) rocks. Their romping sound is augmented by Johnny Iguana's animated piano/organ on six numbers.
The majority of these 13 in-your-face songs were written by Ed or his wife Pam. Half brother Pookie contributes additional originals, and there is the customary cover/tribute to Uncle J.B. Hutto. The subject matter of the songs - overcoming defeat, resisting temptation, having respect, loyalty, and responsibility - reveal Ed's strongest values.
Just like their five previous Alligator releases, Rattleshake was recorded live off the floor. On it, Williams embodies Alligator's Genuine Houserockin' Music. Ed possesses the uncanny ability to chip his guitar straight into your very being. Experience this firsthand on Maybe Another Time. With youthful rebellion, Leaving Here contains rollicking energy. It is boundless on Golden Rule where Ed's guitar is a fireball. Unlike shooting stars, his positive energy does not fade quickly. Combined with a punk beat and Elmore James and J.B. Hutto inspirations, Ed's slide guitar enthusiastically shouts and shrieks on Icicles In My Meatloaf. Williams' gifted guitar talent receives exposure on ballads such as You Just Weren't There. The diminutive dynamo takes the usual ("My baby's gone") lyric a step further on Nobody's Fault But My Own. Here, he ain't just singing the blues; he is asking for forgiveness and making a life transformation. You can feel it in his brazen guitar solo. That's The Truth contains Littleton's masterful shuffles and playful beats. The most surprising track is Billy Joe Shaver's country and western Tramp On Your Street.
In an age where musical styles have been blurred and misnamed, this 51-year-old remains an authentic American bluesman. For over 20 years, he has brought great joy to blues fans with his singing slide guitar and friendly, honest voice. Yes, his songs do become repetitious, and each album tends to blend into the next. Not all of these new songs contain deep poetry. Some have been created simply to have fun. However, don't be fooled into thinking this is a raucous, wild party without purpose. On Rattleshake, Lil' Ed is in touch with his inner self and it is expressed via jovial melodies and tough blues.
Rattleshake Poster
On their new Alligator album, Rattleshake, Lil' Ed's romping, sizzling guitar and his rough-hewn vocals, his half-brother James "Pookie" Young's thumping bass, Mike Garrett's feral rhythm guitar and Kelly Littleton's unpredictable yet bone-crunching drumming produce a modern blues firestorm steeped in tradition. Produced by Alligator president Bruce Iglauer and Williams, Rattleshake features 13 houserocking songs, and captures all of Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials' legendary live energy on disc. The variety on the CD, from stomping, houserocking slide workouts, to deep, slow blues, to blues-ified country, makes this the most rewarding and soul-satisfying album the band has ever recorded.Although Alligator Records no longer exclusively traffics in "genuine houserockin' music," as long as the label continues releasing albums from Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials it won't have to change slogans anytime soon. The sixth release from the veteran foursome is another rollicking, electrified romp through old-school Chicago boogie blues. Lil' Ed Williams is the nephew of, and was schooled by, slide guitar legend J.B. Hutto, so it's no surprise that the Blues Imperials' sound is driven by the high-octane, raw, bottleneck attack popularized by Hutto and the great Elmore James. Both are covered here, and even though Williams's originals adhere to the standard blues format, the energy generated by this live-in-the-studio recording could power a small city. You can practically see the sweat dripping down Ed's fez-covered head as he charges through the humorous yet driving "Icicles in My Meatloaf" and the fast shuffle of "Broken Promises." Slow blues such as "You Just Weren't There" and "Nobody's Fault But My Own" maintain a tough edge while providing a change of pace to the party-hearty rave-ups that dominate the album. The no-frills production is crisp and crackling. It captures the excitement of the opening version of Holland/Dozier's rocking soul shouter "Leaving Here" as well as the heartfelt emotions in the country-influenced cover of Billy Joe Shaver's "Tramp on Your Street," the disc's most surprising track. The blurred shot of the band in action on the cover perfectly represents the music inside--which, as the album's title accurately suggests, rattles, shakes, and rolls. --Hal Horowitz
Blues Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Blues Music CDs
Taj Mahal - MaestroRelease date: 2008-09-30; Music CD
Best price: $8.20
Price in other shops:
Van Morrison - Keep It SimpleRelease date: 2008-04-01; Music CD
Best price: $6.79
Price in other shops:
Ray LaMontagne - TroubleRelease date: 2004-09-14; Music CD
Best price: $7.14
Price in other shops:
Joe Bonamassa - Live from Nowhere in ParticularRelease date: 2008-08-19; Music CD
Best price: $14.03
Price in other shops:
Sonny Landreth - From the ReachRelease date: 2008-05-20; Music CD
Best price: $11.67
Price in other shops:
Buddy Guy - Skin DeepRelease date: 2008-07-22; Music CD
Best price: $7.82
Price in other shops:
Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis - Two Men With The BluesRelease date: 2008-07-08; Music CD
Best price: $8.14
Price in other shops:
B.B. King - One Kind FavorRelease date: 2008-08-26; Music CD
Best price: $10.79
Price in other shops:
Robin Thicke - Something ElseRelease date: 2008-09-30; Music CD
Best price: $10.34
Price in other shops:
Raising SandRelease date: 2007-10-23; Music CD
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
Guitar Shorty - We the PeopleRelease date: 2006-08-15; Music CD
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
Charlie Musselwhite - Delta HardwareRelease date: 2006-05-16; Music CD
Best price: $11.88
Price in other shops:
Jeff Healey - Mess of BluesRelease date: 2008-03-11; Music CD
Best price: $7.19
Price in other shops:
John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers - In the Palace of the KingRelease date: 2007-04-17; Music CD
Best price: $6.34
Price in other shops:
Buddy Guy - Skin DeepRelease date: 2008-07-22; Music CD
Best price: $7.09
Price in other shops:
Jimmie Vaughan, Omar Kent Dykes - On the Jimmy Reed HighwayRelease date: 2007-08-21; Music CD
Best price: $7.75
Price in other shops:
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - 10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads)/ (CD/ DVD)Release date: 2007-01-23; Music CD
Best price: $15.49
Price in other shops:
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - Full TiltRelease date: 2008-08-26; Music CD
Best price: $12.15
Price in other shops:
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - Get WildRelease date: 1999-07-13; Music CD
Best price: $8.36
Price in other shops:
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - Heads UpRelease date: 2002-07-09; Music CD
Best price: $12.28
Price in other shops: