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John Mayall|Tough

Tough

John Mayall

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John Mayall's lengthy, ever-growing discography is so littered with reissues of various sorts that it may not be readily apparent that he continues to make new albums regularly, about one every couple of years. Since Tough, recorded and released in 2009 when Mayall was 75 years old, is his follow-up to 2007's In the Palace of the King, which was billed as his 56th LP, that would make it his 57th. Unlike its predecessor, a tribute to Freddie King, Tough has no particular theme. It is simply a representative collection of songs in various blues and blues-rock styles, played and sung by Mayall with a band including long-serving keyboardist Tom Canning, guitarist Rocky Athas, and bassist Greg Rzab. Athas gets to make like Jimi Hendrix on the hard rocker "Train to My Heart," and takes a blistering solo on the closer, "The Sum of Something," which also gives Canning an organ feature. Mayall has personal reflections to make on some of his original compositions. "Slow Train to Nowhere," which highlights his piano playing, is also a cautionary tale about recovering from bad behavior. "Tough Times Ahead" is concerned with the economic crisis that gripped the world in the run-up to the recording sessions in March 2009: "Banks are closing daily, and recession's coming back again." And "That Good Old Rockin' Blues" is the songwriter's defense of the music he loves in the face of trendier styles. "I hate rap music with a passion that you've never seen," he declares. That's no surprise. And Tough won't surprise anyone who has heard even a few of Mayall's earlier recordings. At 75, he just keeps on playing the blues.

© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

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Tough

John Mayall

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1
Nothing to Do with Love
00:05:54

Jerry Lynn Williams, Composer, Lyricist - John Miller, Composer, Lyricist - John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - Hornall Brothers Music Ltd, MusicPublisher - Stage Three Music Ltd, MusicPublisher

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

2
Just What You're Looking For
00:04:23

John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - Metisse Music (UK) Ltd, MusicPublisher - Peter Harper, Composer, Lyricist

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

3
Playing with a Losing Hand
00:04:10

Walter Trout, Composer, Lyricist - John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - Yakkabiz Music, MusicPublisher - Little Bad Ruf Music, MusicPublisher

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

4
An Eye for an Eye
00:04:35

John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - Pitchell Brothers Music, MusicPublisher - Jeffrey Pitchell, Composer, Lyricist

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

5
How Far Down
00:05:04

Kenneth Greenberg, Composer, Lyricist - Gary Nicholson, Composer, Lyricist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - Gold Club Music, MusicPublisher

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

6
Train to My Heart
00:04:34

John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - FMI Fields Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - David Fields, Composer, Lyricist

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

7
Slow Train to Nowhere
00:04:28

John Mayall, Composer, Lyricist, Artist, MainArtist - Hibiscus Music, MusicPublisher

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

8
Number's Down
00:03:59

Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - Andrew Winton, Composer, Lyricist

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

9
That Good Old Rockin' Blues
00:04:55

John Mayall, Composer, Lyricist, Artist, MainArtist - Hibiscus Music, MusicPublisher

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

10
Tough Times Ahead
00:07:18

John Mayall, Composer, Lyricist, Artist, MainArtist - Hibiscus Music, MusicPublisher

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

11
The Sum of Something
00:05:31

Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - John Mayall, Artist, MainArtist - Curtis Salgado, Composer, Lyricist

2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel. 2009 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd. Licensed to Edel Germany GmbH. earMUSIC is a project of Edel.

Albumbeschreibung

John Mayall's lengthy, ever-growing discography is so littered with reissues of various sorts that it may not be readily apparent that he continues to make new albums regularly, about one every couple of years. Since Tough, recorded and released in 2009 when Mayall was 75 years old, is his follow-up to 2007's In the Palace of the King, which was billed as his 56th LP, that would make it his 57th. Unlike its predecessor, a tribute to Freddie King, Tough has no particular theme. It is simply a representative collection of songs in various blues and blues-rock styles, played and sung by Mayall with a band including long-serving keyboardist Tom Canning, guitarist Rocky Athas, and bassist Greg Rzab. Athas gets to make like Jimi Hendrix on the hard rocker "Train to My Heart," and takes a blistering solo on the closer, "The Sum of Something," which also gives Canning an organ feature. Mayall has personal reflections to make on some of his original compositions. "Slow Train to Nowhere," which highlights his piano playing, is also a cautionary tale about recovering from bad behavior. "Tough Times Ahead" is concerned with the economic crisis that gripped the world in the run-up to the recording sessions in March 2009: "Banks are closing daily, and recession's coming back again." And "That Good Old Rockin' Blues" is the songwriter's defense of the music he loves in the face of trendier styles. "I hate rap music with a passion that you've never seen," he declares. That's no surprise. And Tough won't surprise anyone who has heard even a few of Mayall's earlier recordings. At 75, he just keeps on playing the blues.

© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

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