CD Reviews

Luther Allison

Underground | Ruf

By TED DROZDOWSKI | January 28, 2008

3.5 Stars

What’s astounding about this eight-song album — besides the rudiments of greatness Allison already displayed at age 18 — is that it’s just seeing daylight after 50 years on a shelf in the late blues singer/guitarist’s wife’s home. Another surprise is that it’s the production debut of Bobby Rush, the soul-blues maverick whose Chicago-based band featured Allison at the time. And then there are the performances. It’s hard to believe it took Allison another 32 years to break through. He delivers like a lust-possessed demon on a crackling “Rock Me Baby” as his quivering voice spars with his keening, Elmore James–like slide guitar. And there’s nothing slack about his night-cat moaning on Magic Sam’s signature “Easy Baby,” or the sophisticated compendium of primal funk “Cut You Loose,” with its ringing single-note leads and deep note bending. The latter sounds like a blueprint for Cream minus the Marshall stacks. In 1958, this was the cutting edge.

Topics: CD Reviews , Bobby Rush

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