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Rating: Great |
Johnny Guitar Watson at the height of his powers – here in a sublime blend of funk, blues, and soul – all wrapped into a groove uniquely Watson’s! Johnny may have started the 70s in relative obscurity – after some hit work in the 50s and 60s – but by the time of this set, he was back on top, working a confident groove that few others from his older era could ever achieve! There’s a youthful sense of sex and soul that runs throughout the set – an effortlessly slinky groove that never goes too far into the funk department and makes just the right use of electric instrumentation and tripped-out production, but never gets too carried away by either – and often incorporates some great jazzy touches too.
One of the things I've always appreciated about Johnny Guitar Watson was his ability and willingness to expand the narrative drama of both his music and lyrical themes as he grew creatively. It's not a huge leap for an artist to find a sound that works and simply present it consistently from song to song, album to album. With his 1976 album "Ain't That a Bitch," Watson made a full transition into the funk era at a time when many funk masterpieces were emerging, in the form of albums by the likes of Earth Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, and, of course, P-Funk, then at their peak. Of course, his performance on the title track of George Duke's "I Love the Blues She Heard Me Cry" was perfect for this era, as it gave him the opportunity to see for himself that an artist could bridge the instrumental divides between jazz, blues, and funk if they had the talent and understanding of the music's core to do so. And this 1977 album continued to fulfill that newfound prospect of the possibilities within Watson's new groove.
"Ain't That A Bitch" is a key album in Watson's canon because it marked his transformation from a wanderlust-loving blues guitarist—whose biggest hits up until then had been scored in the mid-'50s and early '60s—into a revitalized blues-funk superstar. Combining a flamboyant personality with a distinctive, funked-up style of blues and soul, Watson charted in the US singles chart in 1976 with two beautiful 45s—the disco-tinged "I Need It" and the infectious, funk-infused "Superman Lover"—from his "Ain't That A Bitch" album (the title track is also a killer track). Watson's charisma and talent are what make "Ain't That A Bitch" shine. Not only could he deliver some mean, stinging blues guitar licks, but he also had a unique, super-smooth voice—and these two qualities combined to create an irresistible draw in the mid-to-late 1970s. In essence, Johnny “Guitar” Watson modernized the blues, attracting a new, younger audience and making the idiom relevant again for a whole new generation of listeners.
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