The slow burner "I Can't Quit You Baby" became a top 10 R&B hit for Rush and a reminder of how the lines between rock 'n roll, rhythm & blues and electric blues were still not very clearly defined back in those days. But Rush's impassioned vocals and chords played as arpeggios put it firmly in the blues camp. A dozen years later, this song became introduced to a whole new generation of listeners via Led Zeppelin's debut album, but nobody ever really topped Rush's original rendition.
The spooky, calypso-driven "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" shifts into a more rockin' beat two-thirds in, providing the platform for some stinging leads by Rush. It's not hard to imagine that Peter Green was inspired by this tune when he wrote "Black Magic Woman" for Fleetwood Mac.
"My Baby Is a Good 'Un" kicks off with a knockout rock riff and some impressive chromatic fretwork on the solo break. "Graoning The Blues" is a classic, slow twelve-bar blues that hearkens back to the Delta sound of Rush's native Philadelphia, Mississippi.
Other bright spots include the tormented "Checking On My Baby," the jumping "Sit Down" and the smooth "Violent Love." Every song in the collection is distinct in mood and shows a different side of Rush's guitar prowess and vocal delivery. For an odd collection of singles, it comes together for a remarkably consistent album.
Nowadays, Otis Rush is finally starting to get some long overdue recognition. This despite having been firmly established as one of the preeminent Chicago blues guitarists more than a half of a century ago. And he's yet to have climbed down from that lofty perch. Rush is a living legend and the legend was forged with these mind-blowing sides.
Article comments
1 - Josh
Well done and well said, Pico. It's marvelous to have someone else flogging Otis Rush around here for a change.
I have almost an identical package of these Cobra recordings, but mine is slightly different. Those early sides are some of the most influential and brilliant works to come out of Chicago. Brilliant.
2 - Pico
"Brilliant" is the best way to describe this collection in one word. Thanks for the kind comments, Josh.