Western Courier

Issue date: 9/3/08 Section: The Edge

Another standout is Lonnie Lohnson's "Tomorrow Night," which somehow manages to use jazzy, ragtime-esque piano in a mournful way. It seems fitting that the man who first achieved commercial success with a cover of "The Thrill is Gone" would begin to wind down his career with another set of thoughtful and powerful covers.

However, the highlight of the album is a stunning seven-minute version of "Backwater Blues." It plays in your stereo almost as well as hearing King play live, even on crummy, college-kid speakers. King wails, "I woke up this morning and I couldn't get out of my front door... It was so much trouble, make a poor man wonder why you even wanna go."

This song breaks your heart. Not because it's a last ditch effort by an aging musical icon - a pattern King easily could have slipped into. Far from it. Instead, it's exactly what blues should be, from Robert Johnson to Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones - well seasoned, searing music that reaches deep into people's hearts - whether it's affirming the laments of aging baby boomers, or scaring the tar out of youth obsessed 20-somethings.

As "Midnight Blues" says, "Don't ever gamble, unless you're sure that you can't lose." By returning to his roots, King scores a huge win.

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