Willie Buck review in Chicago Blues Guide

At this point in his life, Willie Buck can’t really be considered a major stylist; his ideas remain rooted in the tried-and-true, and even within those limitations he’s never been what one might call an innovator. (Remember: Muddy, Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Elmore, and their contemporaries were neither “purists” nor “revivalists” – they honored roots by re-inventing them, creating a new music that took the blues to places it had never been before.) Nonetheless, for this session, Delmark has surrounded him with ace accompanists who are almost as rooted in the tradition as he is, and their unerring chops and deep feel for the music give him both the freedom and the necessary structure to coax out the best he has in him. Just don’t expect anything revolutionary or new – in many ways, and despite the obvious passion Buck and his band still have for the venerable sounds they recreate so faithfully here – a session like this is more like a recital than a juke-joint party. On those terms, Willie Buck Way succeeds well.

http://www.chicagobluesguide.com/reviews/cd-reviews/willie-buck-cd/willie-buck-way-cd_page.html

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