Nothing But The Truth [CD]

This is the seventh album that Son Seals has recorded for Alligator Records since he sprang from obscurity back in 1973. Since he joined us, Son has grown from a young, fresh-from-Arkansas, virtually unknown blues guitarist without even a band of his own into one of the best respected bluesmen in the world. He's been hailed by the music press everywhere as one of the blues giants of his generation. Son doesn't tour a lot, by his own choosing, but fans from everywhere flock to his Chicago gigs.

For this album (which we narrowly avoided calling "Seventh Son"), our Mr. Seals has chosen material by some of the blues' finest writers (including himself). Son put together the hand-picked band from among Chicago's top sidemen. From his own band, he brought rock-solid rhythm guitarist John Randolph and the funky horns of Red Groetzinger and Dan Rabinovitz. From Larry McCray's band, Son borrowed keyboard wiz Tony Zamagni and, on half the album, bassist Noel Neal. For six tunes, Son's old pal and former Icebreaker Johnny B. Gayden laid the bass parts. And David Russell, Jimmy Johnson's drummer, kept it all tight.

Like his mentor Albert King (to whom I Can't Hear Nothing But The Blues is dedicated), Son Seals has made his mark as one of the most distinctive and gritty of blues guitarists and one of the most honest and passionate of blues singers. Like his old friend Hound Dog Taylor (to whom Sadie is a tribute), Son is never afraid to let the raw, rough edges of the blues hang out there for everyone to hear.

It's been over twenty years since Son Seals first stepped into the studio to record for Alligator, but he's still got the same soul-deep commitment to his music that he had when I first heard him playing at the Expressway Lounge on the South Side back in 1972. You can hear it in every note on this album. And that's nothing but the truth.

-- BRUCE IGLAUER