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Review
At 88 and on his 36th studio album, John Mayall is still capable of surprising.
The veteran Bluesbreaker closes the Sun is Shining Down not with a groan but with a title track that celebrates his good fortune.
“And I’m so glad/the sun is shining down on me/got a home in California/and no place I would rather be,” Mayall - who will retire from the road after a final run ending in March - sings over Carolyn Wonderland’s understated guitar work.
A former Bluesbreaker herself, Wonderland is but one of several guests on the Sun is Shining Down. The biggest surprise is the presence of violinist Scarlet Rivera - best known for her work with Bob Dylan - who lends a bit of whimsy to “Got to Find a Better Way” and “Deep Blue Sea,” which comes off as an unexpected sequel to Octopus’s Garden.”
“Go underwater and see another world of green/fishes go by and I get to wondering where they’ve been,” Mayall sings.
Lest anyone worry Mayall has lost the blues, fret not. Mayall has not lost the blues.
With adroitly arranged horn charts and guitar-playing mates like Melvin Taylor - who, as Wonderland’s replacement, killed one Mayall’s 2021 tour - and does so again on “Hungry and Ready” and “Driving Wheel” - Marcus King, Mike Campbell and Jake Shimabukuro, whose contributions to “One Special Lady” are particularly acrobatic; searing with a light touch, the Sun is Shining Down is a blues album at heart.
One that happens to be full of surprises as old dog Mayall shows off some new tricks.
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— Kristopher Weiss, jambands.com
Product Details
At 88 years old when this was recorded, John Mayall was still doing what he'd been doing since the early 1960s: finding the best players around and making the blues feel alive and urgent. The man who gave Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor their breakout platforms has never stopped hunting for that next great musical conversation, and this late-career record proves the instinct remains sharp.
On his latest album, The Sun is Shining Down, out January 28th via Forty Below Records, Blues legend John Mayall teams up with a stellar cast to deliver a funky soulful affair punctuated by brass, violins, harmonica and electric ukulele. Special guests include, The Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell, fast rising roots rocker Marcus King, Americana icon Buddy Miller, Scarlet Rivera of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review, Chicago blues guitar mainstay Melvin Taylor and Hawaiian ukulele star Jake Shimabukuro. Also on hand are Mayall's longtime dynamic Chicago rhythm section of Greg Rzab on bass guitar and Jay Davenport on drums with Austin's multi-talented and charismatic Carolyn Wonderland on guitar. Recorded at Robby Krieger's (The Doors) Horse Latitudes studio with Grammy nominated Producer Eric Corne, The Sun is Shining Down is Mayall's 5th studio album for Forty Below Records, a fruitful partnership that began with 2014's A Special Life. "I couldn't be happier with the new record," exclaims Mayall. "I can't wait to share it with my fans. Each one of these special guests brings something unique to the album and our team works so well together. I think you can hear that chemistry in the music," raves Mayall. The album explores a range of styles and eclectic instruments. Scarlet Rivera's violin beautifully compliments two Mayall originals, the timely "Got to Find a Better Way" and a spirited reboot of the Mayall classic "Deep Blue Sea". Mike Campbell sounds like a natural born Bluesbreaker on the funky Bernard Allison cut "Chills and Thrills" and Marcus King sizzles throughout the soulful "Can't Take No More," another Mayall original. Buddy Miller's baritone tremolo guitar adds a unique and memorable flair to the Bobby Rush composition "I'm as Good as Gone", while Jake Shimabukuro's electric ukulele is nothing short of astonishing on "One Special Lady". Melvin Taylor proves why he's been wowing Chicago blues audiences for decades on "Hungry and Ready" and "Driving Wheel" and Carolyn Wonderland brilliantly concludes the record with a sensitive moving performance on the title track. As significant as each of these guest turns is, however, they can't overshadow Mayall's own spirited vocals, iconic harmonica and lyrical keyboard work on The Sun is Shining Down. "John shines throughout this album, exuding a joy and gratitude that are infectious. We all want to give that back to him," adds Producer Eric Corne.
Tracklist
Side A
1. Hungry And Ready (5:00)
2. Can't Take No More (3:45)
3. I'm As Good As Gone (4:23)
4. Got To Find A Better Way (5:00)
5. One Special Lady (4:18)
Side B
1. Chills And Thrills (5:20)
2. A Quitter Never Wins (4:33)
3. Deep Blue Sea (4:25)
4. Driving Wheel (3:41)
5. The Sun Is Shining Down (5:20)
UPC: 843563143100
Label: Forty Below
Release Date: 6.24.22
Format: LP Vinyl
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