B.B. King Wails

AMG Review of B.B. King Wails

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

King's third album didn't have any hits or well-known standards of his repertoire, though one of the tracks, "The Woman I Love," became a small hit after getting overdubbed years later. The influence of ig band jazz is actually fairly prominent here, with saxes and trumpet playing a big part in the arrangements. Jump blues like "I've Got Papers on You, Baby" and allads like "The Fool" veer almost as close to jazz as lues with their brassiness, though cuts like "Sweet Thing," "We Can't Make It," and "The Woman I Love" put the slow-burning, guitar-oriented lues for which King is most known closer to the core. Elsewhere King puts shades of gospel ("Come by Here") and doo wop ("I Love You So") into his brand of polished urban blues. The 2003 CD reissue on Ace adds eight bonus tracks, including previously unissued takes of "You've Been an Angel" and "Why I Sing the Blues," as well as the previously unissued "Yesterday," which comes close to pop balladry (and is not the same tune as the Beatles song of that name). Also on hand as additional items are some other odds and ends from his Modern label days that were deemed to fit in with the album's jazzy mood, including a cover of "Trouble in Mind" and collaborations with the Count Basie Orchestra (on "Everyday I Have the Blues") and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (on "Yes, Indeed!").