Bobby Bland

Without a doubt, Two Steps from the Blues is the definitive Bobby "Blue" Bland album and one of the great records in electric blues and soul-blues. In fact, it's one of the key albums in modern blues, marking a turning point when juke joint blues were seamlessly blended with gospel and Southern soul, creating a distinctly Southern sound where all of these styles blended so thoroughly it was impossible to tell where one began and one ended. Given his Memphis background, Bobby "Blue" Bland was perfectly suited for this kind of amalgam as envisioned by producer/arranger Joe Scott, who crafted these wailing horn arrangements that sounded as impassioned as Bland's full-throated, anguished vocals. It helped, of course, that the songs were uniformly brilliant…

One of the most powerful and distinctive voices in blues and R&B, thanks to his steady stream of classic singles during the '50s and '60s. Bobby Bland earned his enduring blues superstar status the hard way: without a guitar, harmonica, or any other instrument to fall back upon. All Bland had to offer was his magnificent voice, a tremendously powerful instrument in his early heyday, injected with charisma and melisma to spare. Just ask his legion of female fans, who deemed him a sex symbol late into his career.

Four albums dating from 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981 from legendary blues singer Bobby Bland, originally released on MCA. Bland had a long and influential career with the ‘Dreamer’ album (BGOCD63) and ‘His California Album’ (BGOCD64) both creating great critical and commercial acclaim. Rock artists such as Van Morrison, Mick Hucknall and David Coverdale are all disciples of Bland. Digitally remastered and slipcased, and with extensive new notes.

Onetime rivals for R&B supremacy, the two blues greats hit the road together in the Seventies, where they soon discovered how well their styles complemented one another while bantering with expert comic timing. "Nothing is planned tonight," King announces early in this hour-long set, and whether or not that was true there's a spontaneous but never sloppy spark. It's instructive and exciting to hear King's guitar supporting another vocalist, particularly a master such as Bland.

Blues You Can Use could have accurately been titled Blues and Soul You Can Use because it offers a generous dose of R&B along with straight-ahead electric blues. But then, that title wouldn't have been as catchy. More important than the title, of course, is the music itself - and Bobby "Blue" Bland is in decent form on this album, which came out when the singer was 56 or 57. To be sure, Blues You Can Use isn't in a class with Bland's classic Duke output of the 1950s and 1960s - and his voice is undeniably thinner than it was in his younger days. But Bland demonstrates that he could still be expressive and charismatic on 12-bar ditties like "I've Got a Problem" and "For the Last Time" as well as laid-back soul numbers such as "Restless Feelin's," "There's No Easy Way to Say Goodbye" and the tear-jerker "Let's Part as Friends"…

Recorded live at the New Daisy Theater with Bland's regular working road band, this captures him in fine form, bringing together old favorites with some other numbers for a heady blend. When called for, the old Joe Scott heavy horn-laden arrangements are summoned up on tunes like "St. James Infirmary," "Farther on Up the Road," "That's the Way Love Is," "I Pity the Fool," and "I'll Take Care of You" with consummate ease. But even more telling is how effortlessly and seamlessly material like Buddy Ace's "Love of Mine," "Members Only," "Soon as the Weather Breaks," and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time" meshes with the old standbys. A lengthy slow blues medley brings guest appearances from Johnnie Taylor and Bobby Rush on "Stormy Monday," but the real star here is Bland himself. He's in good voice and good humor, and this makes a fine addition to his stack of latter-day recordings.

Here on this CD we re treated to an excellent example of a "live" Bobby "Blue" Bland concert recorded at Long Beach, California in 1983. Along with Mel Jackson, Bobby's Bandleader/Arranger/trumpet player, one gets to hear some truly amazing guitar work by the legendary guitarist, Wayne Bennett. Mel Jackson and the Orchestra - kick off the show with a funky soulful instrumental "Mels Groove" to warm up the audience and loosen up the musicians before the Dynamic Bobby "Blue" Bland takes to the stage and runs through his 1962 "Ain't That Loving You", and his 1959 "I'll Take Care Of You", (two Duke classics)…

When Bobby "Blue" Bland was recording for Malaco in the '80s and '90s, many blues experts asserted that he was past his prime - and they were right. Bland had done his best work for Duke in the '50s and '60s, and his voice wasn't what it once was. But the blues/soul singer was still capable of delivering a worthwhile album, and he still had a loyal fan base. In fact, the singer was a consistent seller for Malaco, which could generally be counted on to give him good or excellent material to work with. Recorded when Bland was in his late fifties, Midnight Run isn't remarkable but is generally decent. The production of Tommy Couch and Wolf Stephenson is rock solid, and Bland is soulful and satisfying on the amusing "Take off Your Shoes," the reggae-influenced title song, and arrangements of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and the Mel & Tim hit "Starting All Over Again."

Although it isn't billed as such, this is a compilation of some of the best tracks from Bland's first two '80s albums for Malaco fleshed out with remakes of some of his most famous late-'50s and early-'60s hits. Of the latter, the standouts are probably "Two Steps From the Blues" and "St. James Infirmary." Bland can't quite hit the high notes the way he once did, but his voice is still attractive and his phrasing is, if anything, even better. The more recent material ranges from "Members Only," with its great retro-60s soul groove, to the straight-ahead blues of "Straight From the Shoulder."