Various — Antone's 50th Presents: Chicago Bound
Live-to-tape went these 11 performances, each one twitching away like a raw nerve—just the way Nature meant for blues to be experienced. Zero polishing. Zero fine tuning. Zero cosmetic surgery. Only: Ready! Set! BOOM! Done.
“One Step At a Time” is one such capture.
It’s the goodtime elixir originally shuffled along by the late, great Clifton Chenier, the bluest of zydeco accordionists. A sociable squeezebox remains in the mix here (courtesy of Steve Riley). So does the deep rhythmic pocket that beckons listeners to compulsively dance. But the cast generating all this fun results from the didn’t-see-that-coming mashup of Louisiana funksters Ivan Neville and C.C. Adcock with English bluesmen Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Still need more firepower? That is Texas’ Stratocaster guru Jimmie Vaughan caught moonlighting … as a harpist when setting the song’s uppermost limits with skyscraper notes. In spite of their disparate origins, synergy definitely crackles through this ad hoc dancehall band in need of a dancehall anywhere along the Crawfish Circuit.
Keep making your way through the album, randomly taking your pick of tracks, and you’ll find the results are consistently striking. Plus, Chicago Bound's deep, diverse guest list keeps the surprises coming.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds partake. So does the four-piece Memphis horn section that toured with Bobby “Blue” Bland. Perfect timing because their alliance revitalizes “I’m Not Ashamed,” one of Bobby’s love-stuck classics which puts Kim Wilson’s flexible voice through its paces, reaching high only to then drift back down to earth. “I Wouldn’t Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me)” offers stone-cold rebuttal to love’s yeasayers. It, too, comes from the Bland portfolio and gets freshly jacketed in brass. Except this time it caught the ear of vocalist Kam Franklin, the pride of Houston. For extra credit, Bobby’s son, Rodd Bland, does the drumming behind her sassy scorn.
Bland isn’t the only one with enthusiasts in attendance. The fan club of Jimmy Rogers—second guitarist/righthand man in the Muddy Waters Band v1.0 before establishing his own trademark—makes itself heard. Singing guitarist Lurrie Bell is one of Chicago’s esteemed elder statesmen. And, apparently, a Rogers buff as well. His rendition of “Act Like You Love Me” doubles the length of 1953’s swinging, three-minute prototype by leaning into solos and tacking on stanzas.
As for the collection’s title, that comes from those two very gung-ho minutes when a revved-up John Primer leaps into action by also saluting Jimmy Rogers. His choice likewise stems from Chess, but 1954 instead. Rather than coming at “Chicago Bound” en masse—the way Rogers, Little Walter (harmonica), Henry Gray or Johnny Jones (piano), Muddy Waters (second guitar) and Odie Payne (drums) did—Primer strips it down to the barest essentials: guitar (his) and harp (Steve Bell’s). Only two men, yet a squad’s worth of energy.
OK, that covers naming Chicago Bound. But what was the inspiration? If 2025’s Antone’s: 50 Years of the Blues threw the grand, nearly three-hour, 41-track gala in celebration of the golden anniversary of Antone’s—the hotspot of Lone Star hotspots in Austin, Texas—by raiding the vaults of the associated Antone’s label for rare, out-of-print, and newly unearthed live and studio recordings, then Chicago Bound serves as the raving after-party that keeps the revelry going strong.
And what better way to fuel revelry than with a raucous blast modeled on Hound Dog Taylor, the patron saint of rabid slide guitar? His “Give Me Back My Wig” sounds like a brawl that Doyle Bramhall II has had in him for a long while. Loose and appropriately roughshod, the former Arc Angel and Fabulous Thunderbird drives this blitz with the intensity of a hammer in search of a nail. His slide makes no concessions to the faint-hearted; its resting state radiates a serrated force field. When lodging the title’s demand (adding “Honey, now let your head go bald” for extra endearment), his singing compresses down into an oily cackle. And the rhythm behind it all keeps dense and brutish. As for the overall result? ‘Masterfully dirtball’ springs to mind.
And speaking of gloriously filthy sound: Brace for “Hangin’ On a Cliff.” Its three shockingly-heavy minutes bring to bear the methodical crush of an industrial machine press, rhythmically slamming down on whatever passes beneath, flattening everything under its massive weight. A gargantuan stomp, in other words. The epicenter is Billy F. Gibbons, ZZ Top’s mega-beardy frontman with the parched rasp and a nasty guitar. Actually, him plus his two BFGs (former Double Trouble drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton and pianist Mike “The Drifter” Flanigin, longtime fixture in the Antone’s house band). Gibbons has outdone himself with scoring his own tribute to Antone’s founder, Clifford Antone, who passed away in June of 2006. (That’s the Cliff in question, in fact, heard absolutely awestruck over the genre’s endless riches during “The Blues Is So Big,” a spoken interlude pledging faith to the music.) Because the ground shakes in the song's presence.
Then the specialists arrive to lighten the load. The romping organ and a riffing saxophone are integral to the bounce of “Backstroke.” Yet the overlord of this territory is Anson Funderburgh’s guitar. Sharp lines cleanly cutting zigzag paths keep with the instrumental’s hallmark of chilled heat. That’s early Albert Collins—Master of the Telecaster—for you. Though, the best palate cleanser lies within an old Jimmy Reed tune, “Baby, What’s Wrong.” There you’ll find the most humble, unassuming, human element of all—Miss Lavelle White’s then-96-year-old voice.
Yet before calling it a night, Primer returns to close out the bash with its big, fibrillating finale: “Got My Mojo Working,” a song he played countless nights in the early-1980s with the prestigious Muddy Waters Band. He’s brought with him Lil’ Ed Williams. Great power move—given that Ed is the fez-topped, bottlenecking life of any party. The two trade guitar solos, lyric verses and bouts of energy. Steve Bell’s harp helps stoke the chugging chain reaction, which drummer Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith constantly whips to keep on time.
So, here’s to Antone’s! And here’s to those who keep laying it down in the name of Antone’s!
Label: Blues Till 2 Recording Company
Release date: 8/28/26
Label website: Antone’s Nightclub.com
Reviewed by Dennis Rozanski
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