Artist:     The B.B King Blues Band

Album:     The Soul of the King

Label:     Ruf

Release Date:     5.10.2019

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The stars of this luminary-filled date are not the obvious guests but the ten-piece BB King Blues Band, the unit that was behind the master for over 35 years. Especially compelling are trumpeter/vocalist and leader James Boogaloo Bolden and lead saxophonist Eric Demmer. Thankfully the band mixes in some originals rather than simply dragging out the covers, but there are plenty of B.B’s chestnuts in here too. Fortunately the band has some terrific writers in Bolden, Demmer, and lead vocalist/bassist Russell Jackson. Other members contribute too. Their late leader would be privileged to play on such tunes as the horn-drenched “Low Down,” the smoldering ballad “She’s the One,” the funky “Taking Care of Business,” and Bolden’s “Hey There Pretty Woman.” There are others too that we’ll mention as we go.

First, let’s round out the remaining band members: Walter King (sax), Herman Jackson (drums), Darrell LaVigne (keys), Lamar Boulet (trumpet), Wilbert Crosby (guitar), Brandon Jackson (drums) and Raymond Harris (trombone). Most of them have enviable pedigrees that stretch also into jazz, gospel and R&B. The album was recorded in Hollywood and in Houston with Executive producer Terry Harvey saying, “After being with B.B. for 35 years, this band lives and breathes his music. It has become part of them. This record is a representation of B.B.’s musical styles and influences, to those who never got to hear or see him live.”

The band let the A-list lineup dictate the B.B. covers. Harvey says, “…we picked songs from B.B.’s catalogue that we felt fit their voices. Our approach was not to stray too far from the original, but still make it fresh. I want the world to remember B.B. and introduce his music to the youth of today.” There’s an emotive reading of “The Thrill Is Gone” by newest band member, lead guitarist and vocalist Michael Lee that definitively closes the album. Mary Griffin and Taj Mahal do the vocal and guitar parts respectively on “Paying the Cost to Be the Boss,” another standout, ironically sung by a female. Harvey says, “Everyone came in prepared, but when Mary Griffin came to record, she was all bubbly…and nailed her vocals in two takes.” Other star turns are Kenny Neal’s vocals and guitar on “Sweet Little Angel,” Diunna Greenleaf absolutely acing one of King’s best tunes, “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere,” Joe Louis Walker’s soulful penned “Regal Blues (A Tribute to the King)” and Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s blistering guitar on the opening “Irene, Irene.”

These star stints aside, some of the album’s stronger moments come in Demmer’s alto sax support of Greenleaf’s lead vocal on “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere,” Demmer’s tenor and Crosby’s guitar solos on “Taking Care of Business,” Russell Jackson duetting with Greenleaf on “Becoming the Blues,” and Lamar Boulet’s trumpet solo on the Bolden penned “Pocket Full of Money.”

This brass-laden session is one of this year’s strongest blues entries. Like “the King,” it oozes with class.

—Jim Hynes