Talk about playing a winning hand, John Mayall has been cashing in his chips for over half a century with nary a variation on his original blue theme. At 83, Mayall and his team of long standing team of Rocky Athas/g, Greg Rzab/b and Jay Davenport/dr keep it fresh and exciting with guest Joe Walsh and a hip horn section on a number of tracks.
Mayall’s voice gets more gloriously gravelly every year, and sounds funky and fun with the horns of “Ron Dziulbla/ts, Mark Pender/tp and Nick Lane/tb on the Hand Jivey “Gimme Some of that Gumbo” and Memphis sweaty “Don’t Deny Me.” His harp snarls to Rzab’s funky line and the smoky B3 on “Talk About That” while Athas and Davenport add a Chicago shuffle to the raucous “Goin’ Away Baby.” Joe Walsh comes off like James Gangbusters while contributing a solo to the ominous “The Devil Must Be Laughing” and is rollicking on the exciting and slinky blues of “Cards on the Table.”
Mayall continues his legacy about writing lyrics about various personal and social aspects of life, with “”The Devil…” and the title track fitting right into his street corner catalogue. This quartet has been one of Mayall’s best, and it is a pity that Athas, who has carried the Clapton-Green-Taylor baton so well, is stated to have this one be his swan song. He’ll be missed, but Mayall isn’t exactly a novice at finding blueswailing six string gunners. This one’s a shootout at OK Corral.