King of the Blues: 1989

King of the Blues: 1989
Studio album by
B. B. King
Released1988
GenreBlues, pop
Length51:28
LabelMCA
B. B. King chronology
You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now
(1987) 		King of the Blues: 1989
(1988) 		Live at San Quentin
(1990)

King of the Blues: 1989 is an album by the American musician B. B. King, released in 1988.[1][2] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Recording".[3]

King supported the album with a North American tour, which was a hit due to his appearance in U2's Rattle and Hum.[4][5] King was disappointed that the album and tour did not find much success with Black audiences.[5]

Production

Al Kooper was among the album's four producers.[6] Many of the tracks used drum machines; King was an adopter of home computers and curious about modern studio technology.[7][8] Steve Cropper played rhythm guitar.[9] "Drowning in the Sea of Love" was written by Gamble and Huff.[10] "Can't Get Enough" was King's favorite track.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD[13]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[14]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[15]

The Orlando Sentinel called the album a "bid for pop- crossover attention."[16] The Calgary Herald wrote that "the songs are so mediocre as to actually give you the blues, and producer Al Kooper has drowned King's occasional stellar guitar work in a sea of keyboards and soulless drum programming."[17] The Kingston Whig-Standard determined that the album "is very contemporary and could easily give Robert Cray a run for his money in the blues-pop-soul category."[18] The Toronto Star labeled it "a bold, big electric blues album from the unassailable master of the field."[9] The Vancouver Sun noted that King of the Blues: 1989 was "more structured and tight than previous albums."[19]

AllMusic concluded: "Over-glossed R&B tracks, heavy doses of keyboards and drum programming are an ideal way to make albums for the pop charts, but for B.B. King, they are tools of disaster."[12] King's biographer, Daniel de Vise, deemed the album perhaps "the low ebb of his recording career."[1]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."(You've Become a) Habit to Me" 
2."Drowning in the Sea of Love" 
3."Can't Get Enough" 
4."Standing on the Edge" 
5."Go On" 
6."Let's Straighten It Out" 
7."Change in Your Lovin'" 
8."Undercover Man" 
9."Lay Another Log on the Fire" 
10."Business with My Baby Tonight" 
11."Take Off Your Shoes" 

References

  1. ^ a b de Vise, Daniel (2021). King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B. B. King. Grove Atlantic.
  2. ^ McShane, Larry (29 Dec 1988). "Blues giant B. B. King gets boost from U2 rock band". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 2.39.
  3. ^ "B. B. King". Recording Academy. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  4. ^ Silverman, David (15 Sep 1988). "Coming Soon". Chicago Tribune. p. 15F.
  5. ^ a b Hunt, Dennis (31 Dec 1988). "Blue Over the Blues". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  6. ^ Lepage, Mark (9 Mar 1989). "B.B. King – King of the Blues: 1989". The Gazette. Montreal. p. E3.
  7. ^ Joyce, Mike (14 Apr 1989). "The Blues Blowin' into Town". The Washington Post. p. N23.
  8. ^ Anderson, John (28 July 1989). "Bluesman B.B. King Is Puttin' On the Ritz". Weekend. Newsday. p. 3.
  9. ^ a b Quill, Greg (6 Jan 1989). "B.B. King wired to cutting edge with computer-generated blues". Toronto Star. p. E16.
  10. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 358.
  11. ^ Doruyter, Renee (18 Aug 1989). "Afro, pop and all that jazz". Entertainment. The Province. p. 72.
  12. ^ a b "King of the Blues: 1989 Review by Curtis Zimmermann". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  13. ^ Hadley, Frank-John (1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press. p. 125.
  14. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 384.
  15. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 395.
  16. ^ Duffy, Thom (11 Dec 1988). "Music". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 7.
  17. ^ Muretich, James (22 Dec 1988). "Disc". Calgary Herald. p. C5.
  18. ^ Burliuk, Greg (24 Dec 1988). "Short Cuts". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  19. ^ Todd, Douglas (21 Jan 1989). "Recordings". Vancouver Sun. p. E2.