Various Artists
The Blues Night
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
One thing you find out by all the Christian artists doing old "preaching" blues standards is that classic hard rock bands in the past used to rob the catalogs of blues greats like Blind Willie Johnson. An example everyone has heard already is the tune "Nobody's Fault But Mine," of which the living members of Led Zeppelin unjustly receive tons of royalties off of. Another example is right here on track number one - "Boom Boom." Pat Travers got all sorts of airplay on this tune back in the 70's (though he admitted it wasn't his tune.)
This live album features Larry Howard, Glenn Kaiser, Darrell Mansfield and often overlooked rocker Trace Balin. Recorded in Holland last year, we get no overdubs - just what was laid down that night. I'm not sure what the temperature was that night, but it sounds hot to me. An awesome moment comes in Glenn's set, where he strums the opening riffs to "Great Change" and this blues-lovin' audience starts clappin' and singing the words.
One thing about these old "authentic nods" to the blues masters is they don't have the immediate power and pull that my generation (and the few after it) were raised to expect. In simpler terms, it doesn't rock me. Bands like Guardian, Red Sea and Bride owe a lot to this kind of music, but I'll take these three any day over this mellow side.