Buster Brown - The New King of the Blues '1961

Tracks list

If blues musicians took up residency in Vegas during the late 50s, it might come
out sounding like this. Browns gleeful run through myriad blues related styles
(gospel, R&B, doo wop, New Orleans, early rock & roll) casts a vaudevillian
sheen over many of the 16 tracks here, placing the performance squarely in the
realm of Louis Jordans own showy style. The fact Brown had a very brief hour in
the sun with his unexpected 1959 hit Fannie Mae further indicates his pop
approach to blues probably was better suited to the lounges of the chitlin
circuit than the main venues of blues and rock & roll. His almost perfunctory
versions of war horses like St. Louis Blues and Blueberry Hill reveal the
downside the situation. But he does have his moments, particularly when he plies
a hard, Chicago blues groove à la Little Walter on cuts like Dont Dog Your
Woman; his harmonica sound borrows from both Walter and Sonny Terry while his
singing is punctuated with timely whoops taken straight from Terrys animated
vocal style. Even with more than just a few bright moments here, the good amount
of watered down material ultimately makes this Brown collection a secondary
choice next to prime titles by Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Wynonie Harris, and
even Big Jay McNeely.

Tracklist:
 01. Buster Brown - Fannie Mae (02:58)
 02. Buster Brown - John Henry (02:35)
 03. Buster Brown - Madison (02:34)
 04. Buster Brown - St. Louis Blues (04:08)
 05. Buster Brown - When Things Go Wrong (03:59)
 06. Buster Brown - Lost in a Dream (02:22)
 07. Buster Brown - Is You Is or Is You Aint (02:29)
 08. Buster Brown - Dont Dog Your Woman (02:54)
 09. Buster Brown - Blue Berry Hill (03:08)
 10. Buster Brown - Sincerely (03:55)
 11. Buster Brown - Im Goin but Ill Be Back (01:47)

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