Billy Jones Bluez Review

When I got the cds from Billy Jones Bluez and popped the first one in the player, I sat there listening and thinking, “I can’t believe I never heard this guy before, he’s so damn good - where has he been and why haven't I heard of him before?”

I can’t answer that one, but he's obviously paid his dues. With a huge talent, classy and professional execution, some great original stuff as well as covers, and a range from blues to r&b to soul and rock, and blends of all these genres, he can’t stay out of the limelight much longer.

According to the insert in his cd, he was born in ‘52 in N. Little Rock, Arkansas where his family owned a blues cafe that hosted people like Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and other blues greats. Listening to his cds, that young exposure to the blues greats comes busting thru, pounds down the door.

He has been performing professionally since his teens and has backed-up, recorded with and/or performed with Vernon Garrett, Willie Clayton, J. Blackfoot, Chocolate Milk, Chaka Khan, the Bar-Kays, Chick Willis, Willie Cobb, Hosea Levy, Denise LaSalle, Marvin Sease, Mel Waiters, Al Hudson and many others. Now there is a background in the blues and R&B to be proud of - and Billy Jones has built on that excellent experience to craft a couple of cd’s you need to own.

His latest, Prime Suspect for the Blues is a trip you’ll want to take - from the rib-ticklin' blues Marry My Mother-In-Law (outstanding guitar on this one - the man has it; lovely keyboard, too) to great covers of songs like Slip Away, Let’s Straighten it Out (amazing - he plays so well, and has a delicious voice, too) to R&B tunes like his Come Back Tonight and Be Your Man and the funky retro Breakdown. He ranges from the smooth and mellow vocals of Make Love Tonight to a throaty and rough-edged blues holla (as in Ain’t Good Lookin') and belting out Don’t Answer the Door. His Barnyard Love is blues in the classic mold, and something you just can’t miss (trust me here - this is one of my favorites on a cd full of great stuff)! The backup artists on these cd's are just topnotch, too, and they deliver fabulous keyboards and horns to put the last bit of polish on some shining performances.

His ‘tha Blues cd is equally good. The first song, Come Back Tonight is a lovely blues/R&B blended ballad that I have listened to over and over in just this short time. Deal with the Devil is blues at it’s best, another 'don't miss' piece. Revolution Blues on this album - wow! Fabulous picking, great vocals and I love the lyrics - relevant and today! This is one great song, worth the price of the whole cd.

Jones also has a new single out My Hometown which is a genre-buster (written by Mr. Jones himself) and one hell of a good piece - technically lovely and lyrically meaningful, with both wonderful playing and vocalization. I’d recommend it to anyone of any musical taste. Don’t take my word for it, though, catch an earful at http://www.indietunes.com/popup_oscplayer.php?product_id=4903&autoplay=1

All in all Billy Jones Bluez is accomplished, gritty, contemporary blues and R&B artist and a great listen, each and every song. I’m keeping my eye on him, because he’s going big places (and I want to lay claim to saying I helped discover him, and I knew him when . . ).

His cds can be purchased directly off his site: http://hometown.aol.com/billyjonesbluez/page5.html , or off Amazon, CD Universe or anywhere you normally purchase cds. Gotta get his cds!

--C.W. Roberson