Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:03
Size: 165.0 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front
[2:48] 1. Rockin' All Day
[5:08] 2. I Need You So Bad
[4:07] 3. My Baby Walked Out
[5:10] 4. Old Friends
[4:57] 5. In Between Time
[3:00] 6. I Got It
[4:19] 7. Dead Presidents
[4:29] 8. A Better Day
[3:32] 9. Tighten Up On It
[6:57] 10. '1839'
[3:36] 11. Billy's Boogie
[2:58] 12. Make It Alright
[4:09] 13. Bachelor Blues
[3:28] 14. If You Don't Want Me
[6:06] 15. Lake Michigan Waters
[3:38] 16. Lawhorn Special
[3:34] 17. Blizzard
Harpist Al Miller’s blues timeline harks back nearly five decades. He’s had a frustrating habit of surfacing just long enough to cut loose with some succulent, stick-to-your-ribs traditional Chicago blues, only to recede into the shadows again for an extended stretch. The next time he pops up on the radar screen, he sounds just as fine as he ever did. This collection dates back to three sessions spread across 1999 and 2000 and was first released independently by Miller, who also served as its producer, but its appeal is timeless.
Miller was a proud member of the early wave of young white Windy City blues musicians. He gigged on the South Side with veteran mandolinist Johnny Young and Chicago Slim in 1964 before falling in with a crew of snarling blues-rockers, the Dirty Wurds who recorded on Chess Records. Emigrating to the Bay Area, he traded licks for a while with guitar wizard Michael Bloomfield around the end of the decade. Real life interrupted Al’s blues ambitions after that; he returned home to start a family and earn a weekly paycheck at a day job. But Miller never hung up his harp or his musical dreams altogether. In 1995, he released his first Delmark CD, Wild Cards (I had the pleasure of writing the liner notes for that one).
Miller exhibits excellent taste in covers on this album, reaching back for three numbers penned by his old friend Johnny Young as well as obscure gems by Jimmy McCracklin, Eddie Taylor, Percy Mayfield, and Elmore James. Though quite a capable singer, Miller brought in estimable guitarist John Primer to handle the vocal honors on B.B. King’s “I Need You So Bad,” Little Walter’s wry “Dead Presidents” (the only selection sporting a sax section), and Elmore James’ “1839,” adding to the fun and variety. There was room to lay down several rollicking instrumentals showcasing Miller’s mouth organ, Primer and Specter paid tribute to a long-gone (and too often-overlooked) Chicago guitar great on “Lawhorn Special.” Seems like it’s about time that Al Miller takes his spot among Chicago’s blues harp elite. ~Bill Dahl
Miller was a proud member of the early wave of young white Windy City blues musicians. He gigged on the South Side with veteran mandolinist Johnny Young and Chicago Slim in 1964 before falling in with a crew of snarling blues-rockers, the Dirty Wurds who recorded on Chess Records. Emigrating to the Bay Area, he traded licks for a while with guitar wizard Michael Bloomfield around the end of the decade. Real life interrupted Al’s blues ambitions after that; he returned home to start a family and earn a weekly paycheck at a day job. But Miller never hung up his harp or his musical dreams altogether. In 1995, he released his first Delmark CD, Wild Cards (I had the pleasure of writing the liner notes for that one).
Miller exhibits excellent taste in covers on this album, reaching back for three numbers penned by his old friend Johnny Young as well as obscure gems by Jimmy McCracklin, Eddie Taylor, Percy Mayfield, and Elmore James. Though quite a capable singer, Miller brought in estimable guitarist John Primer to handle the vocal honors on B.B. King’s “I Need You So Bad,” Little Walter’s wry “Dead Presidents” (the only selection sporting a sax section), and Elmore James’ “1839,” adding to the fun and variety. There was room to lay down several rollicking instrumentals showcasing Miller’s mouth organ, Primer and Specter paid tribute to a long-gone (and too often-overlooked) Chicago guitar great on “Lawhorn Special.” Seems like it’s about time that Al Miller takes his spot among Chicago’s blues harp elite. ~Bill Dahl
...In Between Time
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 69:16
Size: 158.6 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 1995
Art: Front
[3:29] 1. I Don't Play
[3:45] 2. Stuck In Chicago
[6:46] 3. Seventy-Four
[4:06] 4. Long Grey Mare
[5:07] 5. Can't Stay Here No More
[4:27] 6. Special Way
[5:19] 7. Deal The Cards
[4:18] 8. Red Top Boogie
[5:13] 9. Fallin' Rain
[6:10] 10. I Had A Dream
[5:03] 11. Jockey Blues
[5:00] 12. Big 'C' Blues
[6:20] 13. Blues For John Littlejohn
[4:08] 14. Sittin' Here Thinkin'
Al Miller has assembled a full house of Chicago talent for your listening pleasure on his first album. Not only does this stacked deck feature Miller's triple threat talent as harpist, guitarist and vocalist, it boasts the formidable presence of some of the hottest blues artists from the Windy City circuit - Willie Kent, Dave Specter, Tad Robinson and Steve Freund.
Wild Cards