JIMMY BURNS

It Ain’t Right

Delmark

By Brian K. Read

Editor’s Note: The reviewer of this CD worked as a TV cameraman for the Cubs home games during the team’s successful 2015 season. He’s still a bit obsessed.

Baseball season in Chicago, alas, is past.  The fiery Cubs gave all of us here a thrill, and a record-breaking season to remember.  As I sit down to write this review of the great Jimmy Burns’ new release It Ain’t Right, I find myself in a lingering baseball frame of mind; those same three words in that title could just as easily sum up the collective melancholy of Cubs fans. 

But such is the magic nature of the blues; it can both speak to you when you’re down or lift you up, sing of sadness, then play with joy.  And just like baseball, the blues can show there’s always another chance to step up to the plate and take a new swing at what life has to throw at you.  With It Ain’t Right, Jimmy Burns steps up and takes one out of the ballpark, with the skills, the passion, and personality that I can only compare to the Cubs pride and joy, the one and only Ernie Banks.

Like Ernie, Jimmy knows how to be a leader.  And what a team he has to lead!  This new recording features some true-blue Chicago musicians, including Tony Palmer on guitar, Greg “E.G.” McDaniel on bass, Bryant T. Parker on drums, Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi on piano, as well as Roosevelt “Hatter” Purifoy on keys.  A tight-as-tinfoil horn section brings together Marques Caroll on trumpet, Chris Neal on tenor sax, and Aaron Getsug on baritone sax.  These are seasoned blues players, who follow Jimmy through a myriad of styles, grooves and arrangements, all with ease, as if they were at a house party!

My personal favorite track is the cover of the 5 Royales hit, “Crazy Crazy Crazy,” which hearkens back to street corner and doowop singing, a sure dance number that radio stations should love.  Blues guitar great Billy Flynn also penned a couple of tunes, including a catchy “Big Money Problem,” along with the soul ballad “Will I Ever Find Somebody?”  These and all the songs on It Ain’t Right reflect a thoughtful, heartfelt approach to telling stories; blues stories, sung smooth, that will resonate with truth for all who listen. 

There’s plenty of other covers, too many to name ‘em all, with numbers by Percy Mayfield, Jimmy Reed, Ben E. King and by Little Walter, who wrote the title track.  Jimmy does one by his big brother, Eddie Burns too, “Hard Hearted Woman.”  But they are more than just covers; they take on new life in his hands.  He has a smooth voice you can listen to all night long, and the chops on guitar and harmonica to keep a place jumping, when he plays live; it has been great to see him get back to playing local gigs these past few years.  Jimmy Burns covers all the bases, hits all the pitches, and can hang with the curves, just like Ernie used to do.

It takes a good manager to get the most out of a team, and help a star achieve their full potential.  Venerable producer Dick Shurman really put together a fine team to deliver the goods for Jimmy.  Veteran recording engineer Steve Wagner did his usual studio magic at Delmark Riverside Studios.

The recording is top notch for its sound quality, preserving what sounds like a good time for everyone who was in the studio for the sessions.  The order of the tracks is well considered, with the closing track, “Wade In The Water” a nice traditional gospel closer.  And as anyone who knows baseball will tell you, to be a star, you gotta be a good closer in the late innings!

Also of note are a couple of offbeat tunes Jimmy connects with, like “Snaggletooth Mule,” one funky number by Bobby Stone, originally a 45-rpm titled, “Hoodoo Man.”  Jimmy and the band also funk things up on the Junior Wells/Mel London classic, “Messin’ With The Kid.”  So many songs!  Fifteen songs is a good long effort, kind of like hanging out at the ballpark on a nice sunny day to watch a game go into extra innings!

So Delmark Records, I believe you’ve got yourself another big hit here, with Jimmy Burns and It Ain’t Right.  It has the team, the chemistry, some great material to offer, genuine heart and soul, and a blues star who really knows how to play; I think Ernie is giving Jimmy a tip of his cap right now, somewhere.  Pick up the new Jimmy Burns recording for a fine late-season, winning rally.

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