Luxury Experience - Joe Louis Walker's Blues Conspiracy

Joe Louis Walker Blues Conspiracy - Live on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise

The latest release from Joe Louis Walker - Joe Louis Walker's Blues Conspiracy - Live on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise is another in a long line of must have releases. Recorded live with a long list of multi-talented musicians the release rocks from the opening track and cruises on through track eleven; they must have had to issue lifejackets during the sets as the group had the boat rocking and rolling.

Blues Conspiracy: Slow Down GTO, Ain't That Cold, You're Gonna Make Me Cry, Eyes Like a Cat, Ten More Shows To Play, Born in Chicago, Sugar Mama, Tell Me Why, A Poor Man's Plea, It's A Shame, 747

Personnel: Joe Louis Walker: Electric Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals; Linwood Taylor: Guitar; Kevin Burbon: Piano, Organ; Henry Oden: Bass; Jeff Minnieweather: Drums; Johnny Winter: Electric Guitar; Duke Robillard: Electric Guitar; Tommy Castro: Electric Guitar; Tab Benoit: Electric Guitar; Todd Sharpville: Electric Guitar; Kirk Fletcher: Electric Guitar; Nick Moss: Electric Guitar; Paris Slim: Electric Guitar; Paul Nelson: Electric Guitar; Mike Finnigan: Organ, Vocals (3); Mitch Wood: Piano; Kenny Neal: Harmonica; Jason Ricci: Harmonica; Watermelon Slim: Harmonica; Paris Slim: Guitar; Curtis Salgado: Vocals (3); Keith Crossan: Baritone and Tenor Saxophone; Deanna Bogart: Tenor Saxophone; Tom Poole: Trumpet

The release Joe Louis Walker's Blues Conspiracy Live on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise is the third release on the Stony Plain Records label and was produced by Joe Louis Walker; this is Joe's 21^st release for this tireless musician whose motto is "Play everywhere, all the time, as often as I possibly can." Assembling a Who's Who of musicians Joe and his special guests had the boat rocking throughout the cruise. Joe's comment that the ensemble checked their egos at the door was true throughout the release as the group let their music do the talking.

The release opens with the track Slow Down GTO with guest performer Mike Finnigan on keyboards and Joe Louis on vocals driving the band through this lively track. Joining Joe Louis on stage for the track Ain't That Cold was the legendary blues guitarist Johnny Winter and they tore up the place with down and dirty blues as they swapped riffs and had the audience generating enough energy to propel the boat on their exhilaration. The track You're Gonna Make Me Cry features the vocals of Curtis Salgado and the keyboard work of Mike Finnigan; Curtis' vocals are touching and emotional on this blues love song.

The swinging track Eyes Like a Cat features Tommy Castro on guitar, Tom Poole on trumpet, Deanna Bogart on tenor saxophone, and Keith Crossan on baritone saxophone as the group rocks and sways through this bouncy track. The track Ten More Shows To Play features Kirk Fletcher on guitar and Joe Louis belting out the lyrics "Tonight I am in Houston...but I have 10 more shows to play,... this time she was crying when I got on the plane... I can't ask her to choose between her lovin' and these ever lovin' blues," the arrangement is hard edged, complements the cutting lyrics, and sums up the tough choices of a traveling musician.

Born in Chicago features Jason Ricci on harmonica and Paris Slim and Nick Moss on guitars blazing away with Joe Louis's guitar and vocals; the song crackles from the opening riff and continues to heat up. The track Sugar Mama features Watermelon Slim on harmonica on this sassy and sexy track that is made all that more special with Watermelon's haunting harmonica and Joe's guitar work.

Tell My Why features Duke Robillard and Todd Sharpville on guitars and is one of the more riveting tracks that grabs you from the opening licks and carries you through the track as the guitar work rides the emotional vocals of Joe Louis. The track A Poor Man's Plea features Kenny Neal on harmonica and the group awakens the blues with this powerful song.

The release closes with the tracks It's A Shame featuring the core Joe Louis Walker band with Linwood Taylor on guitar, Kevin Burton on piano, Henry Oden on bass, and Jeff Minnieweather on drums, and the track 747 featuring Paul Nelson and Tab Benoit on guitars with Mitch Woods on piano bring the Jazz Cruise into port with this heart rendering track.

Joe Louis' enthusiasm is contagious and it crosses over to everyone who he plays with; this is a live release that captures the rollicking fun that ‘just' happens when you mix a group of musician such as Joe Louis assembled for Blues Conspiracy.