Jimmy King and the King James Version Band
SOLDIER FOR THE BLUES
Bullesye Blues 9582
available on amazon
There is some extremely intense and tasty guitar that just leaps up off this record in the Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn style. This is an exceedingly clean and very blues oriented disc. In fact, compared to some of his work with the Gales Brothers (he actual is a brother. The 'King" in his name was from Albert King, who considered him a godson.), this disc is almost too cleaned up. It seems a lot of the grit of the Rock and Roll world is gone, as well as the down and outness of the blues genre. It doesn't lessen the playing, but moves it to a new ballpark, and I think he has to just hone his chops a little more to be able to really show what he is capable of in this new milieu if there is where he decides to stay. I personally was liking what he was producing when he stayed with the grittier sound. Let's mark Jimmy King down as a very strong contender for the supposed Stevie Ray Vaughn blues-rock crown. Sorry I put it like that but I'm tired of these 'King of" the players at the moment titles. There is some real tasteful songs on here, 4 of which are written, or co-written by Jimmy King. 5 others are written by other members of the band. Some of these go almost for a rhythm and blues, ala The Holmes Brothers, groove, that he handles quite well. A tasty album and perhaps a harbinger of new directions.
Songs, writers and times -
1. Living in the Danger Zone - Willie Mitchell-Thomas Bingham - 3:25
2. Drawers - (copyright control) - 5:00
3. I'm Doing Fine - (copyright control) - 4:32
4. Life Is Hard - Jimmy King - 4:24
5. I Don't Need Nobody that Don't Need Me - Jimmy King - Archie Turner - 4:53
6. We'll Be Together Again - Jimmy King - Dennis Walker - 3:41
7. Soldier for the Blues - Archie Turner - 4:25
8. You Ain't Bullet Proof - Jimmy King- Eugene Gales - 4:18
9. It Takes a Whole Lot of Money - Ruben Fairfax - 3:48
10. Don't Wanna Go Home - Thomas Bingham - 4:31
11. It Ain't the Same No Mo - Willie Brown-Willie Mitchell - 3:51
12. I Got Sick One Day - Thomas Bingham - 5:09
Players and instruments
Jimmy King - lead guitar and vocal
Thomas Bingham - rhythm guitar
Steve Potts - drums
Leroy Hodges - bass
Lester Snell, Archie Turner - keyboards
Lannie McMillan - sax solo
William Brown, Bertram Brown, Mashaa, Jackie Johnson - background vocal
Produced by - Willie Mitchell