The Real Deal is an album by the American musician Smokey Wilson, released in 1995.[2][3] Wilson supported the album with a North American tour.[4] It was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award for best traditional blues album.[5]
| The Real Deal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Studio | Sunnyside | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Bullesye Blues[1] | |||
| Producer | Ron Levy | |||
| Smokey Wilson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by Ron Levy.[6] It includes covers of Eddie Taylor's "Bad Boy" and Muddy Waters's "Feel Like Going Home".[4] Wilson wrote the remaining nine songs; he was primarily influenced by the styles of Mississippi blues musicians.[7][8] Preston Shannon played rhythm guitar on The Real Deal.[9]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| DownBeat | [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide |  [13] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [6] |
The Chicago Tribune wrote that "Wilson brings a gruff, slashing Mississippi-bred attack to his uncompromising brand of contemporary blues."[14] The Age stated: "Fronting a sturdy, rhythm section, Wilson brandishes a guitar that eases from West Coast panache to stinging, Mississippi Delta grit."[15]
The Anchorage Daily News determined that, "at their best, his songs achieve a slow, coruscating effect enlivened by bright, sparsely picked notes on his guitar."[7] The Boston Herald opined that the album's acoustic tracks "positively reek of the Mississippi juke joints in which the Los Angeles-based Wilson learned his trade from the masters."[9]
AllMusic deemed the album "electric juke-joint nirvana."[10] MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide praised the "joyous, defiant" "Not Pickin' Your Cotton".[13]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Son of a ... Blues Player" | |
| 2. | "House in Hollywood" | |
| 3. | "Bad Boy" | |
| 4. | "Sittin' in Jackson" | |
| 5. | "Feel Like Going Home" | |
| 6. | "Rat Takin' Your Cheese" | |
| 7. | "In My Life" | |
| 8. | "Not Pickin' Your Cotton" | |
| 9. | "I Wanna Do It to You Baby" | |
| 10. | "When You Got Somebody" | |
| 11. | "Can't Make It Without You" |
References
edit- ^ "Antone's". Austin American-Statesman. 14 Mar 1996. p. 34.
- ^ "Smokey Wilson Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Obrecht, Jas (Oct 1995). "The Real Deal by Smokey Wilson". Guitar Player. Vol. 29, no. 10. p. 118.
- ^ a b Fowler, James E. (21 Dec 1995). "Blues Man Brings Roots of the South Out West". Los Angeles Times. p. F19.
- ^ Kinsman, Michael (November 28, 1996). "Lord knows, Smokey Wilson is full-up on the Mississippi blues". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. pp. 720–721.
- ^ a b Meyerowitz, Robert (May 31, 1996). "Wilson Brings the Real Deal to Alaska Blues Fans". Anchorage Daily News. p. H24.
- ^ Dunn, Michael (July 28, 1996). "The Real Deal". Florida. The Tampa Tribune. p. 4.
- ^ a b Convey, Kevin R. (July 21, 1996). "Smokey Wilson The Real Deal". Arts & Lifestyle. Boston Herald. p. 44.
- ^ a b "Smokey Wilson The Real Deal". AllMusic.
- ^ Santelli, Robert (Nov 1995). "Blues all over — The Real Deal by Smokey Wilson". DownBeat. Vol. 62, no. 11. p. 71.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 718.
- ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 408.
- ^ Dahl, Bill (14 June 1996). "Smokey Wilson". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. O.
- ^ Reilly, Terry (August 25, 1995). "Red, Hot & Blue". Entertainment Guide. The Age. p. 8.