Favorites, by The Charles Burton Blues Band

Today I am reviewing The Charles Burton Blues Band and their album, Favorites. It is a collection of covers of some of the early roots songs that have inspired generations of blues and rock n roll acts and I must say, they do the tunes justice.  The album is rockabilly styled blues with a swinging backbeat and a solid groove throughout that keeps the whole thing shuffling onward in the most pleasant fashion. The band is in shape and it shows with a sparseness that fits the genre without bogging it down with so much flash that the beautiful simplicity is lost. It speaks volumes of the bands experience and musical knowledge that they do not need to show off their skills at every turn, but instead they serve the songs while adding their voice at the same time. 

Tell Me Why is a blues song written by Duke Robillard and is played with a Jerry Lee Lewis flair Solid groove and excellent licks in between the verses. It’s a very classic sound yet is has a certain freshness that comes from a genuine love of the material.

Turn On Your Love Light is a song originally recorded by Bobby Blue Bland and now rerecorded with a slightly slower tempo which gives it a certain groove that is somewhat unique to this song and lends it a particular signature that is wholly Charles Burton.

Key To The Highway has some great southern fried blues licks to keep it interesting and the whole song has their signature rockabilly blues sound which is rich in its authenticity and delivery.

Out of nowhere comes Sly And The Family Stone’s If You Want Me To Stay. It’s definitely a change but it somehow fits in the album and is a great rendition of this classic and it really shows off the rhythm section with a slick and tasteful bass solo, followed by some drum kit riffing, followed by an extremely bluesy guitar lead which closes the number out. IT really maintains the groove of the original but with an added flair of their own.

The album closes on Gangster Of Love, written By Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and really takes on the sound of Muddy Waters, and is as blues as it gets on the album…it really slams home and is a nice bookend to the album.

Overall, I would have to say this recording is made by folks who really and truly love these songs and you can easily tell these numbers are where the band pulls their inspiration from simply by the way they handle these songs. Faithful yet unique in their own right. Nothing comes off as cliché or overdone. As a whole, I say they knocked this album out of the park, as far as cover albums go. Any fan of rockabilly, blues, and old time rock and roll with surely find a few gems tucked away on this one.

I rate this  4 out of five stars, with some boogie on the back end.