John Mayall: “The Sun Is Shining Down” (2022) CD Review

Known as the Godfather of British Blues, John Mayall has been delivering great blues for sixty years. And he’s had some talented musicians accompanying him from basically the very beginning. His band The Bluesbreakers has counted among its members such admired and accomplished musicians as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Taylor. And he continues to attract gifted musicians to his projects. His new album, The Sun Is Shining Down, features work from special guests like Melvin Taylor, Buddy Miller and Scarlet Rivera. This album also features a lot of original material, written by John Mayall. Yup, he’s still writing excellent songs well into his eighties. The band is made up of John Mayall on vocals, organ, piano and harmonica; Greg Rzab on bass; Jay Davenport on drums; and Carolyn Wonderland on rhythm guitar. The Sun Is Shining Down was produced by Eric Corne and John Mayall.

The album gets off to a fine start with “Hungry And Ready,” a hopping, rocking blues number written by John Mayall and featuring a vibrant horn section keeping things lively. Ron Dziubla plays saxophone, Mark Pender is on trumpet, and Richard A. Rosenberg is on trombone.  And special guest Melvin Taylor joins him on guitar. In addition to some great guitar work, this track features some good stuff on harmonica, particularly in that instrumental section in the middle, with the guitar and harmonica taking turns leading things. And lines like “You know, I’m hungry and ready, ready to go again” show that John Mayall has no intention of slowing down. A perfect track to launch this album. That’s followed by another original tune, “Can’t Take No More.” Now that title is a line that many of us have been saying for several years now. This track features a seriously groovy and cool bass line. There is a terrific amount of energy on these tracks, and again, I love that horn section. Marcus King joins the band on guitar for this track. “It’s time to tell you, baby/Yeah, it’s time to close that door/We once had a good thing going on/But I just can’t take no more.”

The album’s first cover is Bobby Rush’s “I’m Good As Gone” (here titled “I’m As Good As Gone”), a song touching on one of those perennial blues themes, leaving a woman who has mistreated her man. “Because I’m leaving you, baby/Yeah, I’m tired of you doing me wrong/Come daylight in the morning/I tell you I’m good as gone.” This track features special guest Buddy Miller on guitar, who of course delivers some excellent work. Plus, this track features some great work from John Mayall on organ. Then violinist Scarlet Rivera joins John Mayall for “Got To Find A Better Way,” and makes her presence appreciated immediately. She might still be best known for her work with Bob Dylan, but Scarlet Rivera has played with a lot of artists during her career, including Tracy Chapman and Indigo Girls, and has released several of her own albums as well. This song has a good groove, and seems to address the state of things in its opening lines: “It’s a troublesome time/I don’t know what to say/Things have fallen around us/Did we lose our way/Got to find me an answer/We’ve got to find a better way.” Scarlet Rivera delivers some beautiful work, as you’d expect. This is one of my personal favorites. “The answer is out there/But we can’t be too sure.”

Things then get kind of funky with a good cover of Bernard Allison’s “Chills And Thrills.” Mike Campbell joins him on guitar on this fun track. “Oh baby, you know I’m on my way/You give me chills and thrills that I just can’t even explain.”  Oh yes, there is nothing like the excitement of coming home to that special someone after an extended absence. I dig that work on keys. Billy Watts plays rhythm guitar on this track. And speaking of that special someone, that song is followed by “One Special Lady,” an original tune, in which he describes the woman he’s looking for, and also jokes about his age in the line “All my friends are saying that it’s not too late.” I love the playfulness about this track, which features more good work on organ. Jake Shimabukuro joins the band on electric ukulele on this one, and that jam toward the end is fantastic. Then we are treated to a cover of “A Quitter Never Wins” that begins with some strong work on harmonica. “It seems like nowadays nothing was ever meant to last/One day you’ve got it all, then it disappears so fast.” This track features great work on harmonica throughout. “Yes, I know you want to quit me now, baby/But a quitter will never win.” I wonder if those lines ever kept a relationship intact.

“Deep Blue Sea” is a seriously cool tune that John Mayall originally recorded for the album USA Union. This new version features more fantastic work from Scarlet Rivera on violin, as well as some delicious stuff on piano. “My loving woman and me lying in the sand/We’re on a holiday out in a foreign land.” Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? This is another of my favorite tracks, just a total delight from beginning to end. That’s followed by the last of the album’s covers, “Driving Wheel,” a classic number written by Roosevelt Sykes. Melvin Taylor joins the group on guitar, delivering some fantastic work during that extended instrumental section. This track also features the horn section. The album concludes with its title track, “The Sun Is Shining Down.” On this one, Carolyn Wonderland gets a chance to play lead guitar. This track has a pleasant, easygoing vibe, and is a song about taking stock and looking around and seeing that life is good. It has a playful element, as he sings, “It’s been a long, long journey/And I ain’t got time to quit/Things are going so good so far/Not bad for some old Brit.” Indeed.

CD Track List

1. Hungry And Ready
2. Can’t Take No More
3. I’m As Good As Gone
4. Got To Find A Better Way
5. Chills And Thrills
6. One Special Lady
7. A Quitter Never Wins
8. Deep Blue Sea
9. Driving Wheel
10. The Sun Is Shining Down

The Sun Is Shining Down was released on January 28, 2022 on Forty Below Records.