Chuck Berry: Chuck
Chuck Berry
Chuck
(Dualtone Music)
American rock icon Chuck Berry died in March of this year at 90 years old. His first album of mainly new material in nearly 40 years, Chuck posthumously became his first UK Top 10 chart entry since 1977, debuting at No. 9.
What we get with these 10 tracks is what we have come to expect from Berry; simple production, his clean (and at times also sloppy) guitar strumming and flick-a-flick leads with his perfect facility for rhyme.
Berry melds his guitar with Ingrid Berryâs harmonica on opener, âWonderful Womanâ while the slow roiling blues of âYou Go to My Headâ (not a Berry original) sees Chuck dueting with a strong lady singer. His seemingly live take of Tony Joe Whiteâs â3/4 Time (Enchiladas)â is kind of a mess, but alive with lots of Chuckâs vocal delivery personality. Itâs the piano that keeps the tune together as best as it can be under âuniqueâ leading.
âLady B. Goode,â the sequel to Berryâs classic âJohnny B. Goodeâ is most notable for Robert Lohrâs boogie woogie piano, but the story/lyric is slightly weak and we really didnât need this sequel. The piano and stuttering beat (and Berry singing in a style we donât usually hear from him) informs âShe Still Loves You.â
The best tune for me here is the story song that Chuck talks through with a consistent plucked guitar, âDutchman.â Keith Robinsonâs drums are stellar here as we get the full story told to us with a very simply guitar backing.
There is no new ground broken with Chuck, but then again Chuck Berry has been doing this kind of music, in just this way, all his life.
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