HIP LINKCHAIN
Change My Blues (Teardrop Records)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Hip Linkchain's Change My Blues is Chicago blues the way it was meant to be played. While Hip died of cancer more than a dozen years ago, his U.S. debut on Teardrop has been remixed and re-released to capture a truly powerful bluesman at the top of his game. Change My Blues was originally recorded in the early 1980s, with Pinetop Perkins on piano, Rich Kirch on guitar, Fred Grady on drums, and Frank "Right Hand Frank" Bandy on bass. Together, they showcase Hip's command of the blues guitar, particularly on the title cut, "Call Muddy Waters" and "Night Life." While Hip shared the stage with such bluesmen as Little Walter, Magic Sam, Junior Wells, and Jimmy Rogers, I often wonder how far Hip could have gone if he received more, and well-deserved, notoriety. A textbook example of Chicago blues.

Track List:

Cold Chill * Change My Blues * Shaggy Hound * Call Muddy Waters * Walking Blues * Mad & Evil * Walking From Door to Door * That Will Never Do * All My Whole Life * Night Life

© 2003 - Eric Steiner