Let It Go

Album review

Without completely outshining his illustrious and late father, Bernard Allison has made more than a first name for himself in the blues world for more than twenty years, by, as Luther heartily advised him, not fearing the revenge of the purists by including in his music good amounts of rock, funk, soul, jazz and other genres… For this fourteenth studio album, he once again puts his foot in it by boldly venturing into territories that repel many blues enthusiasts, starting with his very pronounced fondness for funk. He begins on the offensive on “Crusin For A Bluesin”, a nervous R&B which swings in the style of his friend Stevie Ray, with whom he shared his first stage appearances, and we are hooked from the start by this sound which is both dynamic and crystal clear. Allison was inspired to renew contacts with Jim Gaines, a producer who had already done wonders with Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and, obviously, Luther Allison... With this wizard at the helm, the musician’s resources finally match his ambitions. It’s more than obvious with the following title, “Same Ole Feeling”, a rock pop funky track that the Rolling Stones wouldn’t have disavowed, as it somewhat sounds like “Miss You”, even if the guitar would rather belong alongside B. B. King. When you have such a sound, you can afford to do everything, or almost. If “Backdoor Man” goes back to a more classic blues rock—with however an impressive slide section—“Let It Go” and its pop rock melody will quickly get inside your mind if you listen to it two or three times. As if he had invited Prince, Allison pursues with a very groovy “Night Train”, before making you enter his jazz club with the surprising “Kiddeo”, whose melody also evokes (by sheer coincidence?) Prince and his “Girls & Boys”. While carefully avoiding delving into clichés or parody, the boogie blues of “Leave Your Ego” sounds surprisingly subtle and sophisticated, despite a very heavy rhythmic and a devilish Hendrix-like solo. You have to wait for the eighth track for the first concession to traditional blues on “Blues Party”, which pays homage to the great figures in blues history who have cradled the childhoods of both Bernard Allison and his father. On the opposite, the blues ballad “Hey Lady” should be brought closer to the more mainstream productions of Eric Clapton or John Mayer. “Look At Mabel” would also be right at home on a Clapton album—when he is on a JJ Cale perfusion—or even on a disc from Mark Knopfler. With a respectful cover of Albert King’s “You’re Gonna Need Me”, Allison takes his leave with a touch of simplicity contrasting with the sophistication of the rest of the album with “Castle”, a tender folk rock ballad, to such an extent that we still wonder if Let It Go should still be labelled as “blues”. Admittedly its roots are more than perceptible. But they were just as much perceptible with Steely Dan, to whom you’ll think about more than once while listening to this album which will prove ideal to test a new Hi-Fi system. ©JPS/Qobuz