Junior Watson - Nothin' To It But To Do It (2019)

There are few words more over used and abused than the words “legend” or” legendary” as it relates to the coverage of blues music. It has rendered the word virtually meaningless. It is like an overused curse word. It should be saved and put into play at just the right time and used very sparingly or it loses its gravitas.

With this in mind, I will say without reservation or apology Junior Watson is a legend. He is on the very short list of contenders for greatest blues guitarist of his generation. Watson is held in the highest regard amongst his peers, which to be honest, he has very few…if any.

This, along with a handful of other factors, makes Nothin' To It But To Do It by Junior Watson one of most anticipated albums of 2019. Those factors are rooted in the reality that over the past 40 years Watson has been as busy as any musician in the blues field, but has recorded relatively few albums under his own name.

He was famously a founding member of the Flying Saucer Band later renamed the Mighty Flyers and then Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers. After nine years with Rod Piazza he joined the already well-established California based ensemble, Canned Heat. He stayed on with that band for another nine years. It is there he played with one of the band's founding members, the recently departed bassist, Larry Taylor.

Watson, along with Taylor, played with drummer Richard Innes in both Kim Wilson’s Blues All-Stars and The Hollywood Blue Flames led by Al Blake. He stayed busy as a reliable accompanist to harmonica players and vocalists perhaps most notably with the late Lynwood Slim. His recording credits as a featured guest artist are as long as my arm and include great recordings with William Clarke, James Harman, Fred Kaplan and others. For many years he led his own band, the Junior Watson Trio, which included bassist Kedar Roy who can be heard on this brand-new recording.

His abilities as a stellar ensemble player in the traditions of Robert Lockwood Junior, Eddie Taylor and Louis Myers are often overshadowed by his creative, wildly extemporaneous improvisational abilities as a soloist. Watson plays in the moment and he owns every note. He often incorporates a jazz sensibility to his playing in the vein of Bill Jennings, Tiny Grimes or Billy Butler for instance, but it is important to note that Watson is his own man. He has long ago developed his own voice on his instrument and has developed that most elusive quality, an instantly recognizable style.

He is the consummate blues man, but is saddled with the prefix “west coast” to describe his abilities. True, his affection for the blues of his homeland is a matter of public record, but his knowledge and abilities in all facets of blues guitar is underappreciated. His broad vocabulary on the instrument is astonishing.

He is also a very effective singer, who is generous in sharing the vocal mic on his occasional “solo” albums. He continues this tradition on Nothin' To It But To Do It.

This album, which is scheduled for an October release, lives up to its expectations. In my view, it exceeds them. Those expectations not only include the talents of this legendary musician, but the brilliance of the album’s co-producer and recording engineer Kid Andersen. Kid seems to have the Midas touch, as he has made simply one outstanding album after another, many on musicians who have only a fraction of the talent and experience of a Junior Watson.

The album’s Executive Producer is Jim Pugh. It is being released on his Little Village Foundation label. Pugh’s organ work in particular helps to make Nothin' To It But To Do It such an enjoyable record.

Like his long overdue 1994 debut album entitled Long Overdue, Watson uses two fine singers to go along with his own vocal performances on a few tracks. The album also includes some outstanding instrumentals.

Alabama Mike sings a couple of songs and his two turns behind the mic are outstanding. He is an authoritative and authentic blues singer. He has emerged as a star in the blues field over the past few years?. However, the real revelation here is Lisa Leuschner Andersen. She has sung backup vocals on a number of tunes recorded at her husband’s (Kid Andersen) Greaseland Studios in recent years, but the songs on this album represent her first blues recordings as a prominent lead singer. Her natural instrument, choices and instincts are stunning. she comes at listeners on the album's second track, the old Jesse May tune Don’t Freeze On Me like she was shot out of a cannon.

Watson again taps the talents of bassist Kedar Roy and he plays alongside drummer Andrew Guterman. Guterman is a young man from Maryland who has relocated to the San Jose area. He is a devotee of all that is good in the world of real blues drumming and that includes having some serious jazz chops. Picture a cross between S.P. Leary and Richard Innes and you get the idea. ?His versatility is a real asset when one is in the employ of Junior Watson. As far as Roy is concerned, he remains one of the best bass players working out their today. ?

Sax Gordon Beadle is also on board. This New England resident has worked with Watson for years and their mutual musical empathy is in full effect here. Fills and solos toggle between Pugh and his work on both the Hammond B3 and Farfisa compact organ, Beadle’s tenor sax and of course the electric guitar stylings of the one and only Junior Watson.

An album highlight (and there are many) is the reunion of Watson with Gary Smith who Watson calls his first boss and others simply the Godfather of the bay area blues harmonica players. Here they dust off an old Dusty Brown song from the Bandera label entitled, Well You Know.?

While there is enough fiery fret work to keep guitar geeks drooling for the next ten years or Watson’s next release, whichever comes first, that isn’t the point. Nothin' To It But To Do It is about song before solo and the selections here are simply stunning. From Watson original The Pee Wee Classic, an homage to one of his heroes Pee Wee Crayton, to a Ska version of Ellington’s Caravan to some of the most obscure covers this fan has ever heard, the song choices and sequencing are sublime.

It isn’t about new vs. old, originals vs. covers, it is about good vs. bad. Here on the brand-new Junior Watson album there is nothing but great songs played with joy and creative abandon.

Nothin' To It But To Do It receives my highest recommendation and is a serious contender for BLUES JUNCTION Productions Album of the Year. ~David Mac