Live Around The World: The Best Of Junior Wells
With his rakish sartorial splendor that murmured "Don't mess with me" and a stage swagger to match, it's tempting to dub Chicago blues legend Junior Wells the Godfather of Gangster--except that if Wells were alive, he might just drub, verbally or otherwise, anyone who dared. This live set was culled from club recordings made on what became Wells's final 1996-97 tour across America, Japan, and Europe; he fell ill just months after and passed away a little over a year later. Far from the twilight ramblings of a legend one might expect from such an affair, this collection spotlights a fiery Wells still throwing himself into his performances with deceptive abandon, nearly 50 years on. With his distinctive clipped vocal delivery recallingJames Brown(in fact, it probably inspired JB) and his mouth harp sputtering phrases with the same terse economy, Junior cajoles his seasoned eight-piece band through a set that spans his own 'tude-heavy catalog ("Hoo Doo Man," "Messin' with the Kid") through Wells-ified interpretations of standards like "Got My Mojo Workin',"Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster,"Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help Me," and a raving take on the contemporary blues "Take Off Your Shoes." While he seemed detached in some of his final studio efforts, this potent farewell not only underscores Wells's genius as a live performer, it takes its unlikely place among his best albums.--Jerry McCulley