Joe Louis Walker: “Weight Of The World” (2023) CD Review

Many people are trying to shake bad cases of the blues these days, and often the only remedy seems to be some delicious blues music. Enter Blues Hall Of Fame member Joe Louis Walker with his new album, Weight Of The World. If you’ve been feeling that weight lately, this music will help lift it from you. Good vibes abound on these tracks. The album features original material, some of it written by Joe Louis Walker, some by Eric Corne. Joe Louis Walker, in addition to providing both lead and backing vocals, plays guitar, slide guitar, and harmonica on this album. He is joined by Scott Milici on organ, piano, keyboards, clavinet and backing vocals; Geoff Murfitt on bass; John Medeiros Jr. on drums; and Eric Corne on guitar, percussion and backing vocals. There are also a few guests on various tracks.

The album opens with its title track, “The Weight Of The World,” a soulful and lively song with a good, joyful groove and some nice work on guitar. Eddie Jackson plays bongos on this one, and Gia Ciambotti provides some backing vocal work. That’s followed by “Is It A Matter Of Time?” This one has a classic rhythm and blues vibe, and features some good work on keys. “Time will tell, I’ve been told/But I don’t believe that anybody knows/What the future will hold/You got to wait until you get old.” There is a certain cheer to the song’s rhythm, and of course to the horns. Mark Pender is on trumpet, and David Ralicke is on saxophone. It feels like that saxophone in particular is going to keep the future at bay for at least the length of this song. In line with its classic sound and vibe, this song makes references to several 1960s songs, such as “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “Time Is On My Side,” “Time Has Come Today” and “Spinning Wheel.”

“Hello, It’s The Blues” has an intriguing opening. This one takes us to a mellower place, where the blues address us directly. “So when you go to sleep at night/I’ll be right by your side/It’s me, I’m the blues/Don’t be afraid, I’ll be good to you.” Sometimes it feels like the despair is almost like a friend because we’ve grown to know it. And, yes, it seems to know us. “And when you go to bed and cry/I’ll comfort you at night.” Wow, yes, these lyrics are perfect. The blues will be there for us until the pain is gone. This is a fantastic song, one of my personal favorite tracks. It features some wonderful work by Eric Gorfain on violin, as well as some excellent work on guitar. And the song builds in power, as if to draw the pain away from us. I highly recommend checking out this song in particular. That is followed by “Waking Up The Dead.” The drum beat at the beginning promises us more energy and joy, and indeed, this is a song to energize us. It is certainly more fun, and includes some good work on keys.

Things then get smooth at the beginning of “Don’t Walk Out That Door,” a song with something of a classic vibe, like from several decades ago. At the beginning, he pleads, “Please don’t tell me you’re leaving/Please don’t say you’re going to go.” This track has a solid beat, and also features Mark Pender and David Ralicke on trumpet and saxophone respectively. “Every good thing must come to an end/But I just want you back again/Think about me once in a while/When you do think, put on a smile/I’ll do the same, the same for you.” There is something so sad about those lines, but the music tells us to keep going. There are happy endings in music, right? There is a good deal of passion in the vocal performance. The band raises the energy on “Count Your Chickens,” a tune with a funky element and an insistent beat. I also dig that work on keys. The musicians jam on this one toward the end. And then with “Blue Mirror,” things really start to rock, start to get loose. Just follow that piano to the party and enjoy the fun. And then the guitar begins to fly, and everything is moving. It seems that if we keep rocking, we’ll slip past the blues, slip out of the blues’ grasp. The band jams on this one too.

“Root Down” has a strong groove, and features some good stuff on harmonica. “You know I get around/But I never never never really put a root down.” That’s followed by “Bed Of Roses.” This one begins with him getting a letter from his woman, letting him know things are over. “It’s no bed of roses/Watching you fall/Another door closes/Another missed call.” The album concludes with “You Got Me Whipped.” Joe Louis Walker establishes a loose vibe right at the start of the track when it is announced, “‘You Got Me Whipped,’ take one.” This one has a delicious groove.  “So, baby, I’m your man/I’ll do the very best that I can/Baby, you’ve got me whipped.” That’s not the worst feeling, is it? And on this track, we are treated to more great stuff on keys and a very cool lead on guitar. I love that the musicians are allowed to stretch out a bit. And near the end of the song, there is a nod to “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water.”

CD Track List

1. The Weight Of The World
2. Is It A Matter Of Time?
3. Hello, It’s The Blues
4. Waking Up The Dead
5. Don’t Walk Out That Door
6. Count Your Chickens
7. Blue Mirror
8. Root Down
9. Bed Of Roses
10. You Got Me Whipped

Weight Of The World is scheduled to be released on February 17, 2023 on Forty Below Records.