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With Bring ‘Em In, Hall of Famer Buddy Guy is still getting it done.
Every album Buddy Guy has released for Silvertone records (beginning with Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues has had some sort of angle, shtick, or concept. Guy has managed to record some memorable music despite these contrivances. This begs the question: What might Guy’s albums sound like if people quit trying to reinvent him and if he quit allowing them to do it?
What is the concept behind this album? You might call it Supernatural II– they even invited Carlos Santana. Guy’s guest stars lack the pop/alternative crossover appeal those of those on Santana’s mega-selling disc and this is not the first time Guy has had luminary guests lend a helping hand on a record. One still has to wonder whether or not there was a Supernatural effect on Bring ’em In.
The best tracks on this album are more often than not the songs without any guests. Unfortunately that only leaves half the album.
It is not that the guests on the album are no good. It is not even just that Buddy Guy is an amazing artist and a blues icon (and finally a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that can more than hold a listener’s attention (he can). It is that many of the artists paired with Guy seem lost when trying to meld their talents with his. This is never more obvious than when Guy has the entire song to himself. The first four songs on Bring ’em In are probably the highpoints of the entire album.
The one exception to the guest star problem is Keith Richards. Richards, as a rhythm player, melts into the background on “The Price You Gotta Pay” and is neither essential nor distracting in his cameo. “The Price You Gotta Pay” is actually one of the standout tracks on the disc. The song was written by contemporary bluesman Keb’ Mo’ (who cameos on guitar on “Ain’t No Sunshine”). The song details a man’s struggles with fidelity. Plenty of songs have been written on the subject but all too often they are boorish or unapologetic. The lyrics to “The Price You Gotta Pay” are far more regret filled and Guy’s vocal lends them dignity. It is something to behold.
Guy’s vocal performance on “Now You’re Gone,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “What Kind of Woman is This” make his previous effort, Blues Singer, sound every bit as lazy as some critics said it was upon its release. Guy’s falsetto packs much more wallop in these songs than it did at any point on Blues Singer. His vocals throughout the album really are terrific alternating from his characteristic frenzied vocals to eased, relaxed quips.
- Now You’re Gone
- Ninety Nine and One Half
- What Kind of Woman Is This (Guy’s sole writing credit)
- Somebody’s Sleeping in My Bed
Steve Jordan handles the producer’s duty as well as the drumming on the album. Jordan worked on Keith Richards’ solo albums as well as Springsteen’s last disc. He was worked and played with some of the biggest names in music. His credentials as a rock producer are impressive, varied, and undeniable.
His work at the helm of a blues record is less impressive. The sound on Bring ‘Em In is not unbearably slick but there it sometimes comes close. They did not have ProTools when Guy recorded A Man and the Blues or when Guy sat second chair on Muddy Waters’ Folk Singer album. Technology that allows us to hear Buddy play and sing is a good thing. Technology that removes the blood and guts that epitomize blues (and Buddy Guy) is not. The slickness and polish can sometimes make Guy sound older than he is. If there was a chance anything on Bring ’em In could cross over as a hit single the slickness might be easier to forgive. There is no chance of that here (which is not an indictment of this record as much as it is the state of radio) so glossing over the rough edges hurts the record without improving its chances for commercial success.
Robert Randolph and Carlos Santana are both incredible guitarists. So is Buddy Guy. We don’t need either of them on this album because Guy can still raise the hair on your neck with one note from his guitar. This was also a problem on Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler have achieved legendary status and are first-rate guitarists but none are better than the man with whom they are collaborating. “I Put a Spell on You” (the Santana collaboration) is far from terrible and Randolph’s work is not the reason “Lay Lady Lay” does not work on Bring ’em In.
John Mayer sounds completely out of place on “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember.” The 50 years separating Guy and Mayer are never more obvious than when Mayer takes the microphone- he sounds like he is 12-years old. Mayer’s vocals usually have an air of earnestness to them. His vocal on “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” is bland and is made blander by the more emotive Guy.
Tracy Chapman loans her voice to “Ain’t No Sunshine.” There is no vocal interaction between Chapman and Guy until the last 40 seconds of the song. Chapman is a capable vocalist. She sounds more at home on the song than one might expect but that is because the arrangement is more Adult Contemporary than blues. The surprise here might be that Guy’s vocal is still expressive and compelling.
Anthony Hamilton and the background singers get too much time on center stage during “Lay, Lady Lay.” Maybe that explains Guy’s speak-singing of the bridge. Either way, Guy sounds like the guest star on this track rather than the other way around.
There are more than enough great moments to make this enjoyable and necessary listening. The best moments on this disc are enough to quiet those who think their musicians should retire before they reach 40. The lesser moments and mistakes are still more interesting than much of what passes for contemporary rock (and blues) music. The moments in between prove that Buddy Guy on regular day outshines many artists at their best.
Bring ’em In should be celebrated because very few legends are still compelling in their later years. The spirit and the passion and the prowess that is Buddy Guy still rise above the occasional contrivance and the passage of time. Bring ’em In might not move the legend forward but it does not set him back, either. There are a lot of ‘classic’ performers out there who are wishing for the same.
Gotta say Lay Lady Lay works on every level and is one of the best covers of some classic material I ever heard makes my soul leap up just like the Faces cover of “I Know I’m Losing You”…it just don’t get no better, Dave Perry.
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