Review Summary: Luther Allison's debut for Motown is a fine example of the fusion of Chicago blues with funk and soul by a greatly underrated artist.
The fact that Luther Allison was the first blues artist signed by the legendary Motown back in 1972 speaks volumes regarding the value of this bluesman. Bad News is Coming is Allison’s 1972 debut for Motown and comprises mostly of covers. Nevertheless, this underrated blues master managed to blend the classic values of the blues with fresh elements and even sounded contemporary back in the day. Yes, that’s right contemporary. There are funky rhythms and soul elements. What sets apart Luther Allison from his fellow blues masters is not his guitar work but his vocal ability and the passion which he delivers the lyrics with.
The album begins with an electrifying performance of Willie Dixon’s
The Little Red Rooster which is one of the best adaptations of this song. His vocals are intense, his guitar work accurate and manages to make a 1961 classic sound fresh. A Willie Dixon number again,
Evil is Going On is based on a great guitar riff and a gutsy performance by Luther.
Rugged and Dirty would make Glenn Hughes proud with its funky rhythm while
Rock Me Baby,
Cut You A-Loose and
It’s Been a Long Time are straight up Chicago blues. The same applies for
Sweet Home Chicago, a well known blues classic that has been covered countless times by several artists that features an excellent combination of guitar and piano with a great guitar solo. On the other hand,
Dust my Broom, originally by Elmore James, is an upbeat song which is polished and sounds like brand new.
The Stumble and
Take my Love serve as a platform for showcasing Allison’s first-class guitar work with precise yet fast paced licks.
The highlight of this album though is none other than the title song, one of the two original compositions. A 7.26 minute electrifying performance in which Luther Allison displays fully his vocal ability with hollers, wails and exceptional guitar work. If you like the blues, this is a song you will love.
The only drawback of this album is the large number of covers (quite common among blues artists) that limits us from evaluating fully Allison’s ability as a songwriter. Nevertheless, Bad News is Coming is an outstanding blues album that will be loved by blues enthusiasts and probably reach out to funk, soul and rock fans.
Luther Allison is not your typical blues master, there’s a lot of groove and funk in this man. Most of all, there is a lot of soul…Literally.
