Eldorado Cadillac
Eldorado Cadillac | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Genre | Chicago blues | |||
Label | Alligator | |||
Producer | Billy Boy Arnold, Bruce Iglauer, Scott Dirks | |||
Billy Boy Arnold chronology | ||||
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Eldorado Cadillac is an album by the American musician Billy Boy Arnold, released in 1995.[1][2] It was the second album of his 1990s comeback.[3] Arnold considered his two Alligator Records albums to be the best of his career.[4] The album won a National Association of Independent Record Distributors award for best blues album.[5]
Production
[edit]Eldorado Cadillac was produced by Arnold, Bruce Iglauer, and Scott Dirks.[6][7] Arnold wrote seven new songs for the album.[8] Carl Sonny Leyland contributed on piano; Bob Margolin played slide guitar.[9][10] "Don't Stay Out All Night" is a rerecording of Arnold's first single, from 1955.[11] "Sunny Road" is a cover of the Roosevelt Sykes song.[12]
Critical reception
[edit]The Vancouver Sun wrote that "the star of this show is Arnold's straight-ahead harp playing in a style inspired by Sonny Boy Williamson... The sound he wrenches from the instrument—raunchy distortion with a touch of reverb—just about defines Chicago blues."[15] The Washington Post said that Arnold and his band "forego the stomp rhythms of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon for a bluesy, greasy swing that's pure pleasure."[11] The Chicago Tribune concluded that "Arnold's vocal range throughout Eldorado Cadillac is undeniably deeper and fuller than it was in 1956, but his outlook is happily the same."[13]
The Times Colonist determined that "Arnold uses adept vocal phrasing to add a dramatic edge to his narrow range, and his blues harp is a haunting, riveting, delicious treat."[17] The Los Angeles Times deemed Eldorado Cadillac "a solid, sweaty blues collection."[18] The Santa Cruz Sentinel praised Arnold's "distorted harmonica and cool singing."[19]
AllMusic called the album "a fun set of passionate Chicago blues."[3]
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I Ain't Got You" | |
2. | "Sunday Morning Blues" | |
3. | "Don't Stay Out All Night" | |
4. | "Lowdown Thing or Two" | |
5. | "Been Gone Too Long" | |
6. | "Mama's Bitter Seed" | |
7. | "Man of Considerable Taste" | |
8. | "How Long Can This Go On?" | |
9. | "Too Many Old Flames" | |
10. | "Slick Chick" | |
11. | "It Should Have Been Me" | |
12. | "Sunny Road" | |
13. | "Loving Mother for You" |
References
[edit]- ^ "Billy Boy Arnold Biography by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ Komara, Edward (2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 33.
- ^ a b c "Eldorado Cadillac Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ O'Hare, Bucky (October 19, 2023). "Featured Interview – Billy Boy Arnold". Blues Blast Magazine. No. 17–41.
- ^ Morris, Chris (Jun 8, 1996). "NAIRD announces Indie award winners". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 23. p. 8.
- ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 12.
- ^ Iglauer, Bruce; Roberts, Patrick A. (2018). Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story. University of Chicago Press. p. 318.
- ^ Dahl, Bill (15 Mar 1996). "Stale Home Chicago". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
- ^ Allen, Greg (10 Dec 1995). "Billy Boy Arnold serves up hot mix of electric blues". The Press of Atlantic City. p. C6.
- ^ Cote, Michael (15 Dec 1995). "Reviews". Naples Daily News. p. 10.
- ^ a b Himes, Geoffrey (28 Feb 1996). "Blues". The Washington Post. p. R17.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 16.
- ^ a b Dahl, Bill (28 Mar 1996). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 7F.
- ^ Santelli, Robert (Mar 1996). "Shape of the Blues". DownBeat. Vol. 63, no. 3. p. 55.
- ^ a b Moya, Miguel (18 Jan 1996). "Take a high-voltage trip back to a Mississippi barrel house". Vancouver Sun. p. D7.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin.
- ^ Rowlands, Bob (21 Sep 1996). "Music critic gets the blues from that". Entertainment. Times Colonist. p. 1.
- ^ Roos, John (14 Oct 1998). "Blues Routes". Los Angeles Times. p. F2.
- ^ Cooper, Scott (1 Dec 1995). "The Winter Blues". Spotlight. Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 9.