Kenny Chessny

The Gambler’s Last Deal is more than just a concert. It’s a musical journey of Kenny’s life, compered by Kenny of course, complete with track after track of all his hits, archive footage, music videos and past concert performances from Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss and Dottie West…

This one-night-only concert event taping brought together fans, friends and music icons to celebrate Kenny Rogers’ final farewell to Nashville. All In For The Gambler featured performances by Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, Don Henley, Elle King, Idina Menzel, Jamey Johnson, Lady A, Lionel Richie, Little Big Town, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire, The Flaming Lips, The Judds, Wynonna, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Kenny Rogers along with many other special guests.

Down in Louisiana, they do things differently. The Southern states musical giants have always had their own distinct recipe for American roots: spiced with jazz, steeped in swamp-blues and cooked up a little differently by every artist who performs it. As a second-generation child of the Bayou State, Kenny Neal has taken his own inimitable guitar, gale-force harp and roadworn voice all over the globe. But in 2022, the Grammy-nominated blues masters latest album, Straight From The Heart, finds him drawn by the siren call of his hometown and musical ground zero, Baton Rouge. Neal both led and produced a crack team of local musicians at his own Brookstown Recording Studios. All the tributaries of the blues converge here, flowing into one rich tradition. Lining up in the studio alongside his Baton Rouge compadrés, the respect that Neal commands on the scene also drew some special guests, including hot-tip blues sensation Christone Kingfish Ingram, pop royalty Tito Jackson, and two songs with Rockin Dopsie Junior & The Zydeco Twisters. You'll even hear Neals supremely talented daughter Syreeta drive the vocal outro of Two Timing.

Backed by a punchy horn section and sizzling rhythms, Neal didn't suffer from any sophomore jinx. Between Neal, his bass-playing co-producer Bob Greenlee, and drummer Jim Payne, there's some very crafty songwriting going on here – "Any Fool Will Do," "Bad Check," and "Can't Have Your Cake (And Eat It Too)" are among the standouts.

This energetic, foot-tapping, no-filler album from the multi-talented Kenny Neal is a sheer delight, showcasing his fine skills on guitar and harmonica and his rich, powerful voice. Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain starts off with a bang, with an up-tempo rendition of the classic "Big Boss Man." Things settle down with "Shadow on the Moon," which features some tasteful guitar work and smooth, excellent vocals. In fact, Neal's voice is one of this album's major strengths, moving smoothly from richly sung melodies to expressive growls just as the music requires. The highlight of this album is the title track, a slow, lonely ballad with excellent guitar work and backing vocals. However, neither is as powerful as Neal's singing; when he pulls out all the stops, the results are impressive. Highly, highly recommended.

Kenny Neal is such a terrific singer that he can make any kind of blues sound good. On Hoodoo Moon, Neal does the Delta blues justice on a version of Elmore James's "It Hurts Me Too," and does a fine job on the Chicago blues with "I'm a Blues Man." He even pulls off some James Brown funk on "Just One Step." Nonetheless, Neal makes his most valuable contributions when he allows his Louisiana roots to show. On "Don't Fix Our Love," for example, Neal lays his blues-harmonica solo and gravelly vocal over a New Orleans second-line parade rhythm. Lucky Peterson plays the Professor Longhair-like piano part expertly and does the same with the Fats Domino-like piano triplets on "Why Should I Stay." "The Real Thing" and the album's title track boast the slippery shuffle beat of upstate Louisiana's swamp blues.

Always one of the most tasteful of musicians, guitarist Kenny Burrell is in fine form on this set from 1996. He is joined by a rhythm section led by pianist Sir Roland Hanna, trumpeter Jimmy Owens (who is in excellent form), either Steve Turre or Benny Powell on trombone and the underrated tenor-saxophonist and flutist Jerome Richardson. Burrell sings a heartfelt "Dear Ella" (his voice is just average) and there is a vocal apiece by Jeannie Bryson (a sensuous "I've Got A Crush On You") and Vanessa Rubin ("All Blues"). Other highlights of this relaxed bop set include Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer," Richardson's "Groove Merchant" and a medley of "Embraceable You" and Charlie Parker's "Quasimodo."