Buddy Guy – Buddy’s Blues – The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection

This disc compiles Buddy Guy’s works with Chess Records during the early-to-mid 60’s which, while the blues boom was just starting, was actually a slow time for blues records for Chess and a time where they tended to experiment with a number of their artists, with varying degrees of success. These cuts are generally more traditionally blues-based, which form a perfect foil for Guy’s early guitar work-outs. I know that the Chess brothers were holding Guy back a little from letting loose like he was in the local Chicago clubs, but I totally dig the guitar tone and playing here.

Although everything is based in the blues, there are variations here, such as the groovy dance number “Pretty Baby”, the moody, slower blues of “My Time After a While” (with passionate, soulful vocals and fiery guitar work), the soul/r’n’b (not unlike Otis Redding) of “Keep it To Myself”, and the Booker T/almost jazzy r’n’b in “Got To Use Your Head”. “I Cry And Sing the Blues” is Buddy in his bluesy best, though – amazing, tortured vocals and superior guitar work. Fine stuff!

This is definitely my favorite Buddy collection that I have found. This shows why this man is a legend!