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1Trouble Don't Last2Letter To My Girlfriend3The Story Of My Life4Bad Luck Blues5Can I Change My Mind6Too Weak To Fight7Reap What You Sow8Well, I Done Got Over It9Turn Back The Hands Of Time10Sufferin' Mind

Guitar Slim Jr. The Story Of My Life

It was his first album and it earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1989. Now, Guitar Slim Jr. has reissued The Story Of My Life giving contemporary blues fans the chance to appreciate talent that s been overlooked for far too long by the larger audience.

These are ten tracks that cut to the bone with truths that are unavoidable if you re really not afraid to celebrate the human condition with the blues.

If the scorching guitar and the sympathy-drenched vocals sound familiar, it s because he is the son of Eddie Guitar Slim Jones, one of the most influential blues artists of his generation. The album includes several covers of his father s classic tunes. But enough about things that came before, for it is Jr. s skillful interpretation of the material that is just as astounding. Clearly these songs are in his musical marrow.

This album is a reminder that there are supremely gifted artists among us today... and Guitar Slim Jr. is definitely one. It s just that you sometimes need to go out and find them. Search the black New Orleans club circuit over the past few decades and you would certainly have encountered the impressive Mr. Slim. So the question isn't Where has Guitar Slim Jr. been all my life? The real question is Where have you been? --Parcbench.live - Greg Victor

Downright Dirty Blues Guitar

Like his pioneering father, Guitar Slim, before him, Rodney Armstrong (aka Guitar Slim Jr. ) has garnered a reputation for playing downright dirty blues guitar, with some soul repertoire mixed in. Although there aren't a lot of recordings to his name, his album The Story of My Life was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1989. It is set to be released again here in 2017.

On The Story of My Life, which consists of several covers of his father s old tunes, Slim Jr. s playing is proficient as ever, whether he is playing traditional blues accompaniment underneath his wide vocal range or adding virtuosic flourishes in between phrases something for which the older Guitar Slim was also famous. He treats the guitar like a second vocalist that offers up countermelodies to his own singing, and with strong vibrato and authoritative string-bending, he really makes it sing as well.

Slim Jr. is a blues musician first and foremost, and so blues and blues-influenced rock are the most prominent sounds on The Story of My Life. However, he s far from a one-trick pony. There are slow, wistful ballads in 6/8 time, such as the title track and Reap What You Sow, but there are also up-tempo shuffles, such as Letter To My Girlfriend, and horn-laden gospel in the form of Too Weak To Fight, both of which give the album a nice dash of diversity and fun. The lyrics are traditional blues fare, mostly about heartbreak in some form or another.

There aren't any real weaknesses on the album, so the deciding factor is solely if the listener is a fan of blues. If he or she is, The Story of My Life is a pretty great blues record. Slim Jr. spent most of his time in New Orleans nightclubs, recording minimally; but when he finally did it was a great investment. The Grammy nomination was certainly well deserved.

Overall, Slim Jr. is an impressively talented guitarist and vocalist, who put together a killer record reminiscent of his father s old blues work. I m sure he d be very proud of his son s playing today. --mxdwn.com - Arnim Whisler