Kenny Neal – Hooked On Your Love

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Kenny Neal

Hooked On Your Love

Blind Pig Records

BluesWax Rating: 8

Blues With Some Sweet Soul

Kenny Neal is the son of the late Raful Neal (1936-2004), considered the father of Baton Rouge blues. Buddy Guy was in Raful’s band before Buddy left Louisiana. Plus, Raful is an inductee in the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame.

Kenny has worked with Lucky Peterson, Lazy Lester, and was once a member of The Downchild Blues Band. This is his fifteenth album and follows up on Let Life Flow, a sort of comeback release. This latest Blind Pig CD, Hooked on Your Love, re-establishes Neal as a songwriter and now patriarch of the Neal family. Supporting musicians include Tyree Neal, rhythm guitar; Darnell Neal, drums; Frederick Neal, organ; and son Kenny Jr. on percussion. Guest artists include Vasti Jackson and Lucky Peterson.

My favorite of the eight originals on this album is “Things Have Got to Change,” but I also love the tracks “Hooked On Love,” “Bitter With The Sweet,” and “Tell Me Why.” The McCrary Sisters are background vocalists. Neal also uses them on “I’d Rather Be Blind” and “Crippled or Crazy,” which is mistakenly credited to him but is actually from O.V. Wright.

Other covers include “If Walls Could Talk,” originally recorded by Little Milton, and “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do,” written by Peacock Records founder Don Robey and recorded by Bobby “Blue” Bland. “New Lease On Life” is from William Bell.

I was introduced to Raful and Kenny Neal at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. On “Voodoo Mama” Kenny utilizes a New Orleans-type second line with horns and a swamp guitar solo.

Kenny Neal is a multi-talented artist who continues to make fine albums, but I would like to hear more of the edgier stuff, too.

Richard Ludmerer is a contributing editor to BluesWax. Richard looks forward to reading your comments. Comment below.

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