Unfortunately, the material isn't quite as wide-ranging in fact, it leans toward the overly familiar, with a pleasant, thoroughly bland version of "The Thrill Is Gone" with Eric Clapton sadly living up to its title. There are a couple other bum tracks -- most notably the turgid slow blues "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere," which drags on for an interminable seven minutes, or a full six minutes longer than needed to prove that sultry blues is not Gloria Estefan's forte but for the most part, 80 plays better than it reads on paper.
Most of it is solid, straight-ahead big band blues, firmly within B.B.'s comfort zone and sounding appropriately comfortable not as in boring, but warm, relaxed, and friendly, whether he's playing with old friends like Bobby Bland or with John Mayer, who acquits himself well as a guitarist, even if his voice is overwhelmed by B.B.'s towering presence. There are couple of nice little surprises along the way, such as how "Ain't Nobody Home" with Daryl Hall works up a nice soulful groove or how Sheryl Crow reveals that she's a convincing blues singer (there are also some unpleasant surprises, as on "Tired of Your Jive," an otherwise fine track that's derailed by the realization that Billy Gibbons' voice has been torn to shreds, leaving a phlegmy mess behind), but the best moments come from the old guard of the British Invasion. Roger Daltrey proves that he's singing better than ever with "Never Make Your Move Too Soon," Elton John and his house band really cook on a terrific "Rock This House," but it's Van Morrison who steals the show with "Early in the Morning," a clean but down-and-dirty version of the standard.
It's the best thing here, but it's unfortunate that it kicks off the album, since it suggests that this might be a harder-hitting blues album than normal from B.B. It's not it's a slick, stylish, professional record, one that's actually a little more straightforward than he's been at any time since, well, "Deuces Wild". Coming after some truly interesting records over the last few years, the predictability of 80 is a bit of a disappointment, but there's still a bunch of good stuff to hear, and, no matter how you look at it, for B.B. to be recording and still sounding vital at 80 is a remarkable thing even if the album that commemorates his birthday falls short of the remarkable itself.
Track listing
01. "Early in the Morning" (Dallas Bartley/Louis Jordan/Leo Hickman) - 4:50 (with Van Morrison)
02. "Tired of Your Jive" (Janet Despenza/Johnny Pate) - 3:53 (with Billy Gibbons)
03. "The Thrill is Gone" (Roy Hawkins/Rick Darnell) - 5:03 (with Eric Clapton)
04. "Need Your Love So Bad" (Mertis John Jr.) - 3:58 (with Sheryl Crow)
05. "Ain't Nobody Home" (Jerry Ragovoy) - 3:52 (with Daryl Hall)
06. "Hummingbird" (Leon Russell) - 4:42 (with John Mayer)
07. "All Over Again" (Carl B. Adams) - 4:54 (with Mark Knopfler)
08. "Drivin' Wheel" (Roosevelt Sykes) - 4:20 (with Glenn Frey)
09. "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere" (Doc Pomus/Mac Rebennack) - 6:50 (with Gloria Estefan)
10. "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" (Stix Hooper/Will Jennings) - 4:59 (with Roger Daltrey)
11. "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Willie Nelson) - 4:09 (with Bobby Bland)
12. "Rock This House" (James A. Lane) - 3:07 (with Elton John)
13. "Early in the Morning" - 3:57 (BB Solo Alt Version)
Credits
B.B. King - vocals, guitar
Glenn Frey, John Mayer , Billy Gibbons - vocals, guitar
Van Morrison - vocals, harmonica
Elton John - vocals, piano
Daryl Hall, Gloria Estefan, Roger Daltrey, Sheryl Crow, Bobby "Blue" Bland - vocals
Davey Johnstone , Dean Parks, Eric Clapton, Larry Campbell, Mark Knopfler, Clem Clemson - guitar
Brandon Fields - saxophone
Gary Grant, Jerry Hey - trumpet
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. - trombone
Luke Smith - Hammond b-3 organ
Chris Stainton, Guy Babylon , Robbie Buchanan, Brian Mitchell - keyboards
Leland Sklar, Bob Birch - electric bass
T-Bone Wolk, Yolanda Charles - bass guitar
Nigel Olsson, Russ Kunkel, Ian Thomas , Billy Ward - drums
John Mahon - percussion
string arrangements by: David Campbell
Notes
Genre: Blues, R&B, soul
Length: 54:29
Label: Geffen Records
© 2005
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