The blues isn't dead. It's alive and kicking through various contemporary artists, notably guitarist/keyboardist Judge Kenneth Peterson, better known as Lucky Peterson. His voice, like buffed sandpaper, combustible guitar licks and fresh-off-the-griddle lyrics give true meaning to the blues revisited. His latest release, You Can Always Turn Around, is a rigorous journey through soul, gospel, R&B and rock 'n' roll, a trip on the road to bountiful.
He injects Robert Johnson's classic "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" with the appropriate amount of friskiness and devil-may-care and makes Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" his own, giving it deep undercurrents of homespun angst. "Trouble" and "Atonement" are given brought-up-in-the-church treatment, Peterson's delivery searing and soul-stirring. "I'm New Here" has almost a 60s folk feel, lyrics reminiscent of a Joan Baez-type paean to small town life and simpler times. With "Trampled Rose" he displays his true instrumental genius, harnessing Arabian flavor in a wordless hook. His take on Billy Taylor's "I Wish I Would Know How it Would Feel to Be Free" harkens back to civil-rights era songs, the Nina Simone popularized tune relevant even today, and following it is a silky smooth rendition of the grandmaster of freedom songs, Curtis Mayfield's, "Think."
Peterson's first album Black Midnight Sun was released in 2003, garnering him praise from The New Yorker, which called him "a master of the guitar, organ and microphone." A study of Willie Dixon's at the age of three and a recorded artist by the age of five, Peterson was a musical prodigy who ended up working with some of the best: Little Milton, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Kenny Neal. The 45 year-old musician has had some personal struggles with drug addiction, but has managed to weather out the storm and return stronger than ever to his musical roots. You Can Always Turn Around, which is on Dreyfus Records, is hitting shelves on September 28, 2010. When Peterson's not touring, he spends ample time with his family and at his Dallas-based church. You Can Always Turn Around is a perfect calling card for a "young blues giant" who is sure to be in great demand in the near future.
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