Performer: King, Albert
Label: Stax
Release: 1979
Rating: 4.6/5
Albert King was a big man (if nothing else, the affectionately nicknamed “velvet bulldozer”, with a not exactly modest 120 kilos stored in six and a half feet of roughly thrown-together meat and bone, was too tall an obstacle for even the most skilled wrestler). But the size of the man’s presence can’t be pinned on his gentle looks alone. Far more impressive is his inimitable guitar playing, built entirely on simple harmonic wholes, framed pentatonically and, most importantly, heavily spiced with an innate sensuality that grabs the listener firmly by the throat from the very first note. King was certainly a daring performer, lyrically as well as musically. The force of his message is exceptional, and therefore unmatched. Joe Walsh came closest to the heart of it when he claimed that Albert’s amp alone would blow the great Eddie Van Halen away. In “standby” mode, of course, just so there’s no mistake.
Blues is a thrilling way of expressing yourself artistically, but it shows its true power precisely when it’s played live. Besides total dedication and heart, which prove the performer a credible musical mentor, the blues also demands plenty of humor, often loaded with sarcastic remarks, which a dominant performer, and Albert King surely is one, usually has in abundance. On top of his exceptional ability to interpret lines that look utterly predictable at first glance, Albert constantly overflows with charisma-laden emotional outpourings, callously flung somewhere between the urban and the rural nature of his sharply swaggering delivery.
Live Wire/Blues Power is a short, almost fleeting, yet gorgeous example of the intensity and witty expression of the king of electric blues guitar, as King, in his typical “modesty”, let himself be called. A pretty bold starting point, especially against stiff competition from musicians whose essence is the image of the more or less unfriendly faces of Freddie King and Buddy Guy. Of course, listening to this thrilling document, such unpleasantries about the “bulldozer’s” arrogant posturing are quickly brushed aside. Albert enters his element quietly, with the almost shy intonation of Watermelon Man, and after a good four minutes of comfortable swaying, the “spotlight” is shamelessly stolen by the sensational Blues Power, a classic example of the rawness, power and energy that, in this inimitable relationship, only the message of traditional blues possesses. With it, King actually turns into the king of the blues for a moment, gradually winning over everyone present as he generously pours out all sorts of colorful, complicated life situations. The crowd reacts wildly throughout to practically every move the guitarist makes, no matter how insignificant it seems, and let’s be honest, most of them are. Small, fleeting string pinches that, as if by tradition, keep turning into a hurricane of minimalist, sharply clipped notes, carefully feeding the listener with directly delivered emotional shocks, whose maximum radius of shameless bite is reached with the brilliant Blues At Sunrise.
Albert King was one of those performers who was never afraid to put his emotions on display for a wider audience, quite the opposite. Few performers have the guts and charisma to match his shameless nature. The resulting sharpness of the man’s rhetoric is plain to see on Live Wire/Blues Power, an inimitable blues primer, recommended to everyone encountering the genre for the first time, as well as required reading for all of you who have long been contaminated by the unique racket of one of the most thrilling musical genres.
Lineup
Albert King: guitar, vocals
Production
Al Jackson
Track list
1.Watermelon Man
2.Blues Power
3.Night Stomp
4.Blues At Sunrise
5.Please Love Me
6.Look Out
Album length: 38.04
