Miles Davis explained Buddy Guy pretty well. He said (in "Miles," I believe) "Buddy Guy is a motherfucker."

Ain't that the truth. I ambled down to the local library (that's the Fargo Public Library in scenic downtown Fargo, ND) and checked out "Sweet Tea," the album he put out a couple years ago. This album?
It's a motherfucker.

Buddy Guy took a brilliant career move with this album, taking some of the best cuts out the mouths of the babes at Fat Possum Records, particularly Junior Kimbrough. The result is amazing. Gone is the all-too-smooth rhythm section that has become a ho-hum plague and a vanilla backdrop for soaring guitars. In its place are dirty basses and down-the-hall drums dripping in slapback. THAT'S where the blues should be, my friends.

Buddy's guitars are also impeccable. Big surprise. Really, it is. No soaring solos, just the nitty gritty. Some really interesting micing and some great amp setups put this old pro into a totally different context. And the whole thing is just too badass. Almost too badass for words.

I'm not a huge Buddy Guy fan (motherfucker or no). Great guitars, of course, but not quite the Delta style that I came to love from folks like R. L. or Junior. But, to hear him pull this album off? My faith is restored in Buddy Guy, and then some.

This album is everything that the blues should be these days. When the North Mississippi All Stars decide to be a blues band instead of a jam band, hopefully they'll go back to the same thing that Buddy's picking up on (I wasn't a huge fan of "Polaris").

"Sweet Tea" gets ***** of ***** from me. Give it a try!