Back on Top
There is one word to describe the legendary Pinetop Perkins's performance onBack on Top, and that word ismellow. Mellow like a hot summer day, mellow like a bottle of amber ale, mellow like sleeping in on a Saturday morning. Not that it's boring. Oh, no. Special guestsCorey Harris(guitar) andSugar Ray Norcia(harmonica) may be younger than Perkins by several decades apiece, but they're still hard pressed to keep up with him; the man's got even more tricks up his sleeve than he's got years on his junior compatriots. Whether he's lazing through "Five Long Years" (and giving Harris plenty of room to explore a blistering guitar solo) or keeping things hopping with "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," Perkins remains at the top of his form, despite the fact that he's pushing 90. Would that we were all so active, creative, cheerful, and, above all, mellow at that age. Perkins is truly one of a kind.--Genevieve Williams