Bernard Allison

Guitar-slinging progeny of the great Chicago bluesman Luther Allison, Bernard Allison has proved that great music runs in the blood with a series of high power urban blues albums. Beginning with the viciously funky title track, Chills & Thrills immediately kicks the party into overdrive, briefly letting up only to get a bit jammy (“So Devine”) or momentarily reflective (“Compromising for Your Needs”).

Bernard Allison was born to play and sing the blues, as well as born to play and sing funk, rock, R&B and more. The son of blues legend Luther Allison and a guitarist with a stunning and broad command of his instrument, he leads the movement that is creating blues music for a new generation. Already a major star in Europe following a decade of living and touring on the Continent, Allison recently returned to his homeland to rapidly establish himself as both a thrilling player and a musical stylist who seamlessly fuses tradition with contemporary sounds.
Allison's blues for a new century are indelibly stamped onto Storms of Life, his second release with Tone-Cool Records. As he works his way through material by fellow guitar talents like Mark Knopfler, Johnny Winter, Billy Gibbons, Anders Osborne, and his father Luther…

More than a few musicologists have noted the parallels between hip-hop and the blues – both involve first-rate storytelling, both can be sexually candid, and both have been known to use dark humor. But there is one major difference between hip-hop and the blues: while hip-hop is extremely youth-driven, the blues world is a lot more receptive to people who are 30 and over. Blues fans realize that someone might have more to say at 35 than he/she did at 20; consequently, blues artists are encouraged to grow and develop, which is a good thing for someone like Bernard Allison. The singer/guitarist showed promise all along, but Kentucky Fried Blues finds a thirtysomething Allison continuing to grow as an artist. This CD isn't called Kentucky Fried Blues because Allison is from Kentucky – Allison gets most of his electric blues inspiration from Chicago and Texas.

Bernard Allison got some valuable advice from his father, Luther, before the latter's death in 1997: "Don't be afraid to go outside of the blues," he said. "Don't let them label you like they did me." Bernard has obviously taken that advice to heart; his solo albums have been a rich mixture of rock, funk, blues, and R&B. Most of his recordings have been released in Europe, where he has made his home for a decade. The release of Higher Power comes a little while after his return to the States, and reflects a lifetime of both good times and bad. The album's most noticeable lyrical element is the recurring theme of recovery from addiction – "I've Learned My Lesson" (from which the album's explicitly AA-derived title is taken) and "New Life I'm In" are two of the most explicit blues-based odes to a 12-step program since Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Wall of Denial." On the funkier, less pious side are the soulful "Raggedy and Dirty" (charmingly, he pronounces that word "raggly") and the funky, vaguely misogynistic "Woman Named Trouble".

When it comes to the blues, it seems like there are two different camps – those who are staunch authentic blues enthusiasts, and those who like their blues amped up with a decidedly rock approach. On his 1994 live release, No Mercy, singer/guitarist Bernard Allison certainly falls under the latter category. As with the majority of modern-day blues-rockers, Allison focuses mostly on covers of vintage blues tunes, with the odd original (or more accurately, one lone original – "Next Generation") thrown in for good measure. With Allison backed by a group of studio pros, No Mercy captures blues at its most well-honed – the complete opposite of the grittiness of the original bluesmen – especially on such tracks as the album-opening "Rock Me Baby" and "Breakin' Up Somebody's Home." Also included are a pair of tributes to Bernard's father, Luther Allison ("Change Your Way of Living" and "Help") as well as a reading of "Tin Pan Alley," which is very reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan's version (on his classic Couldn't Stand the Weather release). If you're an admirer of modern-day blues-rock, then No Mercy is certainly worth a spin.

Never released in the US, Funkifino, pronounced funk-if-i-know, is Bernard Allison's ground- breaking album the takes the tradition of black music he grew up with and melting it with the blues from Koko Taylor and Luther Allison to Johnny Winter.

"Songs From The Road" documented one of the magic moments of the blues-legend Luther Allison, who dies in 1997. Recorded in Montreal by the Canadian Television at 4th July 1997, only 4 days before he had to cancel his tour, and to come back on stage never again. In a set about nearly 90 minutes (which is documented on CD in nearly the whole length, and the TV-Edition about 56min. on DVD) Luther burns down a real blues-firework for his fans. As he has known, that this concert would be the last documented one.

Bernard Allison's inaugural effort bristled with the urgency and blues-rock guitar chops that distinguished his late father, Luther Allison. The pair played together for much of the '80s before Bernard recorded this album with his father's musicians - including keyboardist Michel Carras, who pulls down some good barrelhouse piano parts. The mood is feisty and assertive, especially on "B.A.'s Knockin' at Your Door" and "Low Down and Dirty," which poses the gleeful question, "And you think I'd change my style?" Of course not; fans knew exactly what they were getting, such as the Hendrix-flecked string-bending that drives "Help." (Bernard even dabbles on drums and keyboards.)…

As the title and cover art suggests, Triple Fret is a player's album. Although Bernard Allison gets star billing (and does all the vocals), this is a trio record, with fellow electric blues guitarists Larry McCray and Carl Weathersby contributing as much guitar firepower as Allison. Even better, second-generation Hammond organ legend Lucky Peterson guests, adding some welcome musical variety to the otherwise fret-heavy selection and getting his own showcase, the smoking seven-minute instrumental workout "Where's Lucky?" That leaves the songwriting as the only weak spot, but unfortunately, it's pretty seriously weak. Most of the songs on Triple Fret are hackneyed Chicago blues riffs with self-referential lyrics about how hard it is to be a bluesman. Tune out the lyrics and the undistinguished chord changes and the sheer enjoyment of the trio's playing comes through. For some, however, that might not be quite enough.