Review: Jimmie Vaughan – ‘Jimmie Vaughan Plays Blues, Ballads and Favorites’

It goes without saying that the blues has had a tremendous impact on the development of pop music over the last 80 years and is responsible for spawning such genres as r&b, rock n roll, funk, disco and, well, even hip-hop. But before the psychedelic generation of rock gods got their hands on it and turned it into an excuse for extended exercises in hallucinogenically inspired instrumental acrobatics, the blues was the underground dance music of its time. Its rhythms were exciting and exotic, and, as far as the average moms and dads of middle class… ahem… white America were concerned, these sounds emanating from black areas of America like the Mississippi Delta, and the inner cities of Kansas City and Chicago were downright dangerous. In other words there was a fortune to be made in taking this traditionally black musical form and repackaging it in a manner palatable to white America. Did someone bring up Elvis Presley? Oh hell, stop whatever you’re doing and go watch Cadillac Records now. NOW! There’ll be a test later.

One of the things that’s lost about the blues in the wake of its absorption and reconceptualization by virtuoso rock musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and a whole host of others is that blues, although unquestionably rooted in the folk music and experiences of post-Civil War African Americans in the South, is essentially pop music that has a universal appeal. The lyrics were either humorous descriptions of life’s misfortunes (one can’t help but think of the classic line in Albert King’s “Born Under A Bad Sign”: “If It wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all”) or full of tongue in cheek double entendres in which the singer proclaims his sexual and martial prowess (just put on any blues song, really—I mean, all that talk about lemon squeezing ain’t really about lemons, ok?). Accounting for the passage of time and changing styles and tastes, the braggadocio of blues-man is not so far removed from the boasts of early hip-hop MCs in the South Bronx, or 50 Cent for that matter. I can’t really explain Kid Rock, though. Can you?

What’s so cool about Jimmie Vaughan’s latest solo release Jimmie Vaughan Plays Blues, Ballads and Favorites (due out stateside July 6th on Shout Factory!) is how it hearkens back to the time when the blues was pop music. Now I’ll spare you from any bullshit about the “purity” of the blues and any other such nonsense that’s often brought up when the genre is mentioned. We can let Eric Clapton stick to his quasi-mythical fantasies about Robert Johnson all he wants, but let’s face it, blues musicians were entertainers who were as much interested in making a buck as, say, the Chess brothers. (If you’d watched Cadillac Records, you’d get the reference. Told you there’d be a test!) And these blues musicians and song writers knew that they needed to have good material, good catchy songs that is, to appeal to an audience, to get people out of their seats, onto the dance floor and into the record store.

Over the last 40 plus years of endless 12 bar pentatonic guitar wankery that passes for blues in countless dive bars from Boston to Baja the memory that blues musicians used to, you know, play three to four minute pop songs that got people shaking their booties and having a good time has become somewhat obscured. Sure there were instrumental breaks in the middle of the songs, but they weren’t the raison d’être of the whole experience. They were breaks. (Yes, I am a pretentious fuck who just dropped some French into this review. Oh well.) If any of the white 60s-era rock bands actually got the point of the blues, it was probably the Stones. The appeal of the blues lay not in instrumental proficiency but rather in that combination of sex appeal, mystery, danger and not taking yourself too seriously that is usually characteristic of the most successful examples of pop culture. So when I say that Vaughn’s new album hearkens back to an earlier age, I mean it in the sense that he chose to record some great songs with a kickass band that will guarantee listeners will have a good time. After all, you didn’t play or listen to the blues to feel depressed, you do it ‘cause the blues makes you feel good.

At this stage in his life and career Jimmie Vaughan is an American institution and a master of his craft. Although he’ll probably always be known first and foremost, and unfairly at that, as the older brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, who in all honesty and with all hyperbole aside was a singular musical talent, and whose combination of musicianship, showmanship and songwriting aptitude allowed him to transcend the somewhat narrow definition of guitar hero and become a mainstream superstar. The only comparison to be made, and it’s been made, is with Jimi Hendrix, and no one else even enters the conversation. And no, John fucking Mayer doesn’t fucking count. Seriously, though, if you have any interest whatsoever in the blues or guitar playing you must, must, must listen to some SRV. Here go to youtube and start with this Live Video . Then go buy Couldn’t Stand the Weather. As with Hendrix, unfortunately, SRV was taken from us far too soon. He died in a tragic helicopter accident in 1990 following a concert in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin which featured an all star jam including both Vaughan brothers and other luminaries like Clapton, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray. Family Style, the first album the two Vaughan brothers recorded together, was scheduled to be released less than a month later.

No stranger to personal tragedy, then, Jimmie Vaughan has unquestionably paid his dues. Starting out in Austin, Texas in the late 60s with his band the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Vaughan experienced a plethora of highs and lows in a career that’s seen him open for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, be dropped by a record label, be resigned and experience mainstream success before tragedy struck. Approaching 60, Vaughan seems to be sliding comfortably into the next phase of his career which will surely see him be acknowledged as an elder statesman of the blues. Given his status, Jimmie Vaughan has earned the right to do whatever the fuck he wants these days, and what he’s chosen to do here in to pick some of his favorite songs, songs that inspired his own love of the blues and early rock n roll, and offer his interpretations of them. He’s joined in this venture by longtime colleague Lou Ann Barton on vocals who duets with Vaughan on a number of the tracks including “Come Love,” “I’m leaving It Up To You,” “Wheel of Fortune,” and “I Miss You So,” and they come off sounding like a modern version of Johnny Cash and June Carter with all the charisma and chemistry you’d expect from such a pairing.

From the opening guitar notes of the aptly titled “The Pleasure’s All Mine” the record emerges with a vintage Americana vibe propelled by Vaughan’s gravitas-laden vocals and gutsy guitar playing and a rhythm section that lays down one mean shuffle. By no means is Vaughan reinventing the wheel here, but that’s not the point. You have a collection of songs played with a respect, reverence and authenticity that can only come from the heart. The sincerity with which the material is approached is notable on standout tracks like the opening cut and “Lonely Weekends,” both pop gems which deserve to be appreciated by a new audience. Another highlight of the record is the Vaughan-penned instrumental “Comin’ & Goin’,” which finds him assuming the role of guitar hero and unleashing a fury of gnarly sounding leads on his Stratocaster and reveals that he is no slouch as an instrumentalist. In all the record is a slice of Americana, a tribute to a bygone era, but this is no mere nostalgia trip; Vaughan reveals that these songs and this style of music can still be a vital musical entity in the 21st century and beyond.

In support of his new album Vaughan is scheduled to play two special gigs in the UK: at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London on June 3 and the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 2.

Nick Fokas