Blues Had a Baby

1	Givin' Me A Hard Time 5:09
2	Got My Eyes On You 4:02
3	You're The One 2:58
4	Rapid Transit 3:07
5	Mean Black Spider 4:37
6	Blues Had a Baby 4:30
7	Lurrie's Walk 6:30
8	Mean Old Frisco 3:26
9	Five Long Years 5:23
10	Who Do You Love? 4:10
11	Raised On The Blues 3:24
12	I'm Your 44 4:04
13	If I Had A Hammer 6:39
14	Mary Had A Little Lamb 3:18
15	Rollin' and Tumblin' 4:41

Barnes & Noble

An inherent melancholy lies at heart of electrifying blues singers. Muddy Waters had it. John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy still do. Among the younger generation of Chicago singers, vocalist and guitar player Lurrie Bell embodies the hurt at the heart of the blues. The son of harmonica ace Carey Bell, Lurrie has brought stunning guitar work to his father's band as well as those of Eddie C. Campbell and Koko Taylor, as well as the Sons of Blues. But it's on his own releases that Bell's full impact is felt. His MERCURIAL SON was killer, and now he follows it up with BLUES HAD A BABY, a haunting set that comes straight from the blues tradition but is as immediate as today's sunrise. His cover of "Who Do You Love" is delivered like an ancient call, Bell's vibrato-edged voice reaching the ages while he plays his guitar like a Delta dandy strutting down Maxwell Street. But being brought up on the blues in the '60s and '70s also meant Bell was exposed to the popular music of the time. He funkifies "Givin' Me a Hard Time," makes "Mean Old Frisco" chug-a-lug like a frat party, and gives "Raised on the Blues" the James Brown "Showtime" treatment. As an added bonus Delmark has tacked on four solo tracks from Bell's MERCURIAL SON sessions. Featuring just the man and his guitar, they are casual but intimate versions of simple tunes such as "If I Had a Hammer" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb," but the extended guitar solos make them pure Lurrie Bell. Roberta Penn

All Music Guide

The blues of Lurrie Bell comes from a turbulent place, but there's no denying the man can play. This album brings together tracks from three different sessions, the bulk being held in 1997. Supported by a spartan rhythm section, Bell sprays kamikaze guitar licks over a bevy of old standards like "Five Long Years," "Who Do You Love," "Mean Old Frisco," and "You're the One." The last four songs on the album are the real treat; cut in 1995 at the Mercurial Son sessions, this is just Lurrie and his electric guitar running through raw, soulful, and sometimes whacked-out versions of everything from "Rollin' and Tumblin'" to "If I Had a Hammer." If you've wondered what all the fuss is about, grab this CD and turn on to the blues world of Lurrie Bell. Cub Koda