Blues Master Elvin Bishop Nails It on Raisin’ Hell Revue

By: Rick Landers

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I wasn’t’ really expecting the first track of Elvin Bishop’s latest CD, Raisin’ Hell Revue, to be particularly compelling. But, I’ve been wrong before and I was definitely deep into that well-plowed field on this one. It’s a swampy Cajun romp that shuffles along infectiously with its funky, hand-jive beat that’s more festive than his earlier hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”

I hadn’t followed Bishop at all since his ‘70s #3 Billboard hit, so I expected some of the same sweet Top-40 vanilla fare. But, those who are blues aficionados know that Bishop’s been a bluesman since the ‘60s, when he met his mentor and life-long friend, the superb Little Smokey Smothers; a Chicago bluesman who co-founded the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Bishop would replace Smothers as the guitarist and stick around the group for five years.

Bishop’s true to his blues roots on this new outing that was recorded on one of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise jaunts and blues fans will definitely dig it. The beat, the guitar, the harp and vocals are straight out of your local juke joint dive. In fact, this album is so remarkably authentic in its recapture of the ‘40s and ‘50s sound that you’ll swear you just put a nickel in the jukebox or stepped into a joint down on the bayou.

A swamp version of “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” is drenched in the blues, and as much as cover songs, even most remakes by the original artists like this one, almost always miss their marks, Bishop hits the bullseye on this track. The entry of a turgid lead guitar adds grit to the song that the original lacked. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting this album to offer much more than an updated version of the old track, but damn, Bishop’s nailing it on this and the rest of the CD.

Now for you guitar players, Bishop’s blues riffs hit pay dirt. His licks rip it up , complementing the down home vocals and some of the best front porch harp chops I’ve heard in a long time. I’m betting that the album’s swamp romp lazy on-beat rhythms will have you grabbing your axe to play along. I don’t find many albums where every track is worth the price of admission, but this one hits the mark all around and is worth its weight in gold.