B.B. King - Live by Request
The great bluesmen are almost all gone now, which is reason enough to celebrate this performance by B.B. King. King's guitar playing and singing no longer burn with the fire he displayed on, say, the immortalLive at the Regalalbum(after all, he was nearly 78 when this 83-minute show was recorded in New York for A&E; in June 2003), but the man hasn't lost his touch--and neither has Jeff Beck, who joins him for three tunes. Beck, who continues to play with remarkable invention and dexterity, may even upstage the master--but he's doing it with licks he learned from B.B. himself. The repertoire, as expected when folks (including Willie Nelson and Tony Bennett) are calling up and asking for their favorites, is filled with King classics ("The Thrill Is Gone," "Sweet Little Angel," "Let the Good Times Roll"), as well as a couple from his '03 album,Reflections.--Sam Graham