The Jimmy Rogers All Stars' Blues Blues Blues

Duet and tribute albums yield either brilliant revisitations of familiar tunes or mediocre covers that consist of no more than the original plus guest musician. The Jimmy Rogers All-Stars release Blues Blues Blues is a strange brew of duets and tributes that entices with components of brilliance but delivers little more than mediocrity.

Mick Jagger, Lowell Fulson, and Jimmy Page appeal to a wide range of blues listeners. Combined with Rogers, an authority in classic Chicago blues, they have the potential to be wonderful. But they're stifled by the rhythm section, which refuses to change its dynamic to suit the performers in the foreground. Ignore the rhythm, and the album contains solid leads and authentic vocals. Be warned, though, that because the rhythm's the thing, it will not be easily ignored.

On "Blues All Day Long," with Eric Clapton, Rogers complains, "The blues won't let me take my rest." These words might well be applied to Rogers' bassist and drummer, who push through their performances with cold proficiency, forcing Rogers to finish his phrases before they should end. Constant quarter notes and repeated mundane figures lose luster somewhere around the second chorus, which does little to encourage Clapton to play out of the box of revival riffs that he put together for his own blues renaissance a few years ago. Jimmy Page's work on John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" is sweeter, if only because he uses a more metrical vocabulary. The best guest performance is Jeff Healy's blustery lead on "Blow Wind Blow."

To find the best Jimmy Rogers recordings, one would be well advised to look in the Muddy Waters section, for Rogers's work as a sideman. After all, Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin, and the Bluesbreakers are better than just Blues Blues Blues. (Atlantic)

--Stuart Rosenberg

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