CHICK WILLIS
LET THE BLUES SPEAK FOR ITSELF
BENEVOLENT BLUES BEN 10
INTRO (LET ME PLAY MY BLUES)–SHORT HAIRED WOMAN–PICTURE ON THE WALL–JUST A BAD DREAM–ON YOUR WAY FISHING–CRUSH ON MY NEXT DOOR NEGHBOR–MY FANNIE MAE–DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT–WE’RE GOING TO BOOGIE–WORRIED ABOUT YOU–MONEY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME–SINCE I FELL FOR YOU–LET ME PLAY MY BLUES
Southern bluesman Chick Willis will forever be known as the “Stoop Down Man,” after hs monster hit, “Stoop Down, Baby,” from several years back. Willis is a gritty, down-home blues specialist, and a consummate showman. On his latest release, “Let The Blues Speak For Itself,” we find him at his raucous, rollicking best. And, as a special treat, labelmate Travis “Moonchild” Haddix guests on a couple of cuts.
Chick lays down a mean, hook-laden groove that everyone can dance to, and he infuses his brand of slightly-irreverent humor into the mix. Check out “Picture On The Wall,” where his lover leaves him with just her “black drawers and a picture on the wall” to remember her by. Chick expounds the virtues of some good-lovin’ women in “Short Haired Woman” and “My Fannie Mae,” the latter featuring tasty harp from Louisiana Dan Pino. Chick even gets in a touch of crooning, doing a suave, soulful read on Lenny Welch’s “Since I Fell For You.”
We had three favorites, too. The sorry state of today’s economy is touched upon in “Money Is The Name Of The Game.” Steve Cranford’s boogie piano drives the tale of Chick and Travis headin’ over to Chicago’s South Side to do a little “angling,’ in “On Your Way Fishing.” And, that Chick Willis humor shows up in another duet with Travis on “Crush On My Next Door Neighbor,’ with a surprise ending where the “she” turns out to be a “he!”
Chick Willis is a master of lettin’ the good times roll, and “Let The Blues Speak For Itself” is a set that’s guaranteed to cure what ails you! Until next time….Sheryl and Don Crow, Nashville Blues Society.
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