Personnel: Lurrie Bell (vocals, guitar); Roosevelt Purifoy (piano, organ); Willie Hayes (drums).
Audio Mixer: Steve Wagner .
Liner Note Author: Dick Shurman.
Recording information: Riverside Studio, Chicago, IL (02/2013).
Photographer: Chris Monaghan.
Lurrie Bell is a throwback and so is Blues in My Soul. It's the sound of classic small-band Chicago blues as played in the '50s and '60s: no flash, no showboating, and no screaming guitar...just solid ensemble playing. Of course, as the son of Carey Bell, Lurrie comes by it naturally, having learned at the feet of any number of Chicago blues legends. The set is mostly covers, but the only real warhorse is "'Bout the Break of Day," which suffers slightly from overexposure. Bell also contributes a handful of originals, with the nicely personal title track as an album highlight. Lurrie's got a gruff but soulful voice and his guitar style harks back to players like Jimmy Rogers (who he covers here twice). The album was cut with Bell's regular working band, with some tasty added horns on two cuts. If you like your Chicago blues old-school style, check out Blues in My Soul. ~ Sean Westergaard
