There Is Always One More Time (CD - 1992)

Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Michael Landau, Arthur Adams (guitar); Joe Sample (piano); Neal Larsen (organ, keyboards); Freddie Washington (bass); Jim Keltner (drums); Lennie Castro (percussion); Paulette Brown, Valerie Pinkston-Mayo, Bunny Hull (background vocals).

Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Michael Landau, Arthur Adams (guitar); Joe Sample (piano); Neil Larsen (organ, keyboards); Jim Keltner (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion); Valerie Pinkston-Mayo, Paulette Brown, Bunny Hull (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Daren Klein.

Recording information: Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographer: Hiroyuki Arakawa.

Most of B.B. King's studio albums of the '80s and '90s tend to de-emphasize his guitar playing and consist largely of forgettable originals and obvious attempts at pop hits. However this CD (which was cut in the studios) is on a higher level and is quite rewarding. Most of the tunes were co-written by pianist Joe Sample and Will Jennings, and the majority are quite catchy and memorable. Certainly it is easy to sing along with the refrains of "I'm Moving On," "Back in L.A." and "Roll, Roll, Roll." On this date King usually overdubbed his guitar to play along with his vocals (somehow the interplay does not sound spontaneous) but it does not detract from the final results. The intelligent and philosophical lyrics fit King's style very well and his voice is very much in prime form. Well worth acquiring. ~ Scott Yanow

Aside from the title cut, by Doc Pomus, the tunes here were all written by pianist Joe Sample, or Arthur Adams, who shares guitar chores with Michael Landau and of course King. And as the presence of studio cats like Sample and Landau would suggest, pop production values are the order of the day. Even on the shuffles, of which there are a couple, the drums pack a deep, tight whomp, the bass is pumping--in short, the sound is L.A. slick. B.B. is still B.B. and his huge voice can ride herd on the rhythm section; moreover, his guitar is clear and present in the mix and he wails on the extended rideout to the title track. His rightfully prodigious reputation rests on his relentless touring over nearly fifty years, the founding of an entire school of electric blues guitar, and a handful of remarkable live albums, including BLUES IS KING, LIVE AT COOK COUNTY JAIL, and the nonpareil LIVE AT THE REGAL. He gets points for not just cranking out the same old stuff. minimize