Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials – Full Tilt (2008)

On a whim, I bought this album strictly based on album cover alone. Just look at it, with the name Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials? You know they rock. And they do. These guys totally embody everything I think about when I think about the blues. A pimp turned blues man on the vocals, loud horn, egocentric slide guitar, up tempo drummer who knows when to slow it down, and a bass player who looks like his favorite meal is blackened catfish with extra jalapeño cornbread. This band comes through my speakers like a bull in a china shop, making it an absolute certainty that the volume WILL be pushed up when “Hold That Train” starts playin. Lil’ Ed makes his pimp game apparent with songs like “Check My Baby’s Oil” and “First I Look at The Purse”, titles which need no explanation as to what the song’s about. Fabulous musicians who know how to rock the party, then pay tribute to the traditional blues sound are few and far between, but “Full Tilt” quietly says “Hey guy, we got this thing down”. It’s hard to pick a favorite track, however “Life Got In The Way” I feel is a good representation of their style and charm.