Double Take

Double Take

Editorial Reviews
<"b0000ytow65020"> Entertainment Weekly, January 16, 2004
"...delivers a set of country blues that might just renew your faith in the eternal verities...stunningly gorgeous"

<"b0000ytow62999"> About the Artist
KENNY NEAL Born October 14, 1957 into a deeply rooted multi-generational blues family from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Kenny’s been playing the blues since he was a small child. He first learned the blues from his father, harpist Raful Neal, and family friends like Buddy Guy, Lazy Lester and Slim Harpo. It was Slim who gave Kenny his first harp, trying to pacify the crying three-year-old boy. It worked. Kenny mastered harmonica, and quickly moved on to bass, trumpet, piano and guitar. He first... read more

<"b0000ytow64999"> Album Description
Take two critically acclaimed bluesmen, team them up in a recording studio, hit the ‘Record’ button, and listen as the magic begins to flow. Case in point: Kenny Neal and Billy Branch’s new Alligator album, DOUBLE TAKE. Kenny Neal is a critically acclaimed triple-threat bluesman, whose guitar and harmonica prowess are matched note for note by his soulful singing and passionate performances. Billy Branch is among the best blues harmonica players in the world. He is a gruff and potent vocalist, a groundbreaking solo artist, a valued session player and leader of the venerable Sons Of Blues. Neal and Branch got together in a studio in France in 1998 and recorded a magnificent acoustic album (released only in Europe), paying tribute to past musicians and laying the path for a bright and uncompromising future for the blues. Now that album—DOUBLE TAKE—is finally seeing the light of day in the United States. From St. Louis Jimmy’s Goin’ Down Slow to the Little Walter gems My Babe (written by Willie Dixon) and I Just Keep Loving Her to Sonny Boy Williamson’s Don’t Start Me Talking to the originals Billy and Kenny’s Stomp and Northern Man Blues, the two trade vocals in a relaxed and warm meeting of styles, riffs, whoops and hollers. Blending deep blues tradition with a contemporary, pulsating edge, Neal and Branch deliver a foot-stomping and spirited look into the blues through the eyes of two remarkable musicians who will continue to be at the forefront of the blues world for many years to come.