Sitting on Top of the Blues

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Sitting on Top of the Blues
Bobby Rush, sitting on the hood of a vintage car and holding a harmonica
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 16, 2019
GenreBlues
Length43:55
LabelDeep Rush
Bobby Rush chronology
Porcupine Meat
(2016)
Sitting on Top of the Blues
(2019)
Rawer than Raw
(2020)

Sitting on Top of the Blues is an album by blues musician Bobby Rush. It was released on August 16, 2019.[1][2][3][4][5]

Sitting on Top of the Blues debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.[6] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.[7]

Critical reception[edit]

On AllMusic, Mark Deming said, "The swampy funk that was a major part of Rush's musical personality in his salad days is in short supply on 2019's Sitting on Top of the Blues, but his gift for grafting together deep soul and barroom-ready blues is as strong as ever... The arrangements and production are crisp and straightforward, without much in the way of instrumental showboating but full of taut guitar work and some fine harp blowing from Rush."[1]

In All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey wrote, "At 85 years old, Rush continues to sing with a virility and panache not afforded many decades younger.... Rush puts it all together on Sitting on Top of the Blues. A lifetime of music is distilled into 11 superbly realized originals that span the gap between the earthiest delta blues to West Coast funk."[2]

In Blues Blast Magazine, Steve Jones said, "This is prototypical Bobby Rush. A powerful and soulful recording, Rush songs like a young man turning in 11 new cuts.... He still knows how to deliver the goods and entertain. If you’re a fan you’ll love this. If you’re somehow new to Bobby Rush then this is a great little primer into his style and work."[3]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Bobby Rush

  1. "Hey Hey Bobby Rush"
  2. "Good Stuff"
  3. "Get Out of Here (Dog Named Bo)"
  4. "You Got the Goods on You"
  5. "Sweet Lizzy"
  6. "Recipe for Love"
  7. "Bobby Rush Shuffle"
  8. "Pooky Poo"
  9. "Slow Motion"
  10. "Shake til You Get Enough"
  11. "Bowlegged Woman"

Personnel[edit]

  • Bobby Rush – vocals, harmonica
  • Patrick Hayes – guitar, organ
  • Vasti Jackson – guitar, bass, drums
  • Paul Sinegal – guitar
  • Roddie Romero – guitar
  • Lee Allen Zeno – bass
  • Tony Hall – bass
  • Terrance Higgins – drums
  • Doug Belote – drums
  • Raymond Weber – drums
  • Kieko Komaki – organ
  • Alonzo Bowen – saxophones
  • Michael Campo – trumpet
  • Terrance Taplin – trombone
  • Joe Krone – piano

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Bobby Rush: Sitting on Top of the Blues". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Bailey, C. Michael (August 20, 2019). "Bobby Rush: Sitting on Top of the Blues". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Jones, Steve (August 25, 2019). "Bobby Rush – Sitting on Top of the Blues | Album Review". Blues Blast Magazine. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Resto, Dave (August 16, 2019). "Review: Sitting on Top of the Blues by Bobby Rush". Rock & Blues Muse. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Nowels, David (August 13, 2019). "Review: Bobby Rush's "Sitting on Top of the Blues" Is a Potent Shot of Southern Blues". Americana Highways. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Bobby Rush | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Warner, Denise (November 20, 2019). "2020 Grammy Nominees: The Complete List". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2024.