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| Popmatters |
 Joe Louis Walker can play guitar and that’s the truth. The Chicago-based blues singer has been a presence on that city’s music scene for decades now, releasing albums on an almost annual basis since the late 1980s. Alibums such as 1990’s Gift and 2003’s Between a Rock and the Blues reveal a musician with serious guitar chops as well as a gospel-tinged megaphone of a voice. Never a purist, Walker is unafraid to incorporate plenty of rock and roll and even a little funk into his arrangements.Hellfire is Walker’s first album for the blues standard-bearers over at Alligator Records, and the set is a knockout, showcasing a wide variety of approaches unified by his incendiary guitar throttling and those expressive, angst-ridden vocals. This is a good ‘un, kids. Opening track “Hellfire” is a jaunty uptempo boogie number that benefits from gurgling organ undercurrents in addition to the other weapons in Walker’s considerable arsenal. The quick pace is at odds with the dark thematic material, though, and the song seems slightly uneasy with itself—until the guitar starts howling two minutes in. Walker’s use of wah-wah, whammy and the Devil knows what else (see what I did there?) ensures that this solo is enough all by itself to elevate the tune to show-stopper status. Happily, the triumphs don’t end with the first track. “I Won’t Do That” slows the proceedings way down, bringing the listener into deep blues territory. On this tune, Walker’s voice does as much of the heavy lifting as his remarkable guitar playing (with a capable assist, once again, from the dancing fingers of Reese Wynans on keyboards). In a way, that’s the album in a nutshell—slow blues tunes and peppy uptempo songs—but such reductiveness is unfair. “Ride All Night” wouldn’t sound out of place on a 1970s Rolling Stones album, a rocking stomper that’s as lascivious as it is heartfelt—or is it the other way around?—while “What’s It Worth” is a slow-burn of a song, a six-minute-plus simmer that builds to a crashing crescendo and utilizes the depths of Walker’s vocal delivery to brilliant effect....full text |
| Joelouiswalker |
| Joe Louis Walker returns to Stony Plain for his second release in two years. It’s been a long, hard road to hoe for Walker as he’s seen the ups and downs of paying dues inside and outside of the music business. With this latest serving of an eclectic palette of tunes produced by Duke Robillard, Walker completes what some in the music business call a great comeback to what was once a budding career full of expectation. Between ranges on guitar-rock pyrotechnic stompers (”I’m Tide”), gospelly minor chord guest collaborations with Kevin Eubanks (”If There’s A Heaven”), musings on an ex-wife (”Black Widow Spider”) and just straight up old fashioned blues either swingin’ or on the back porch. Five of the twelve tracks here are JLW’s originals with Duke Robillard contributing one tune and all the rest being a cornucopia of different styles and artists. Ray Charles and Roy Gaines get nods here. Real stand out tracks on this album are ready for radio and possibly a BMA nomination for Walker. Those tracks are “Black Widow Spider,” “Tell Me Why,” and the back porch blues of “Send You Back.” Walker has some of Robillard’s long time friends in his backing band for this one. Mark Teixeira, Doug James, Bruce Katz, Carl Querfurth, and East Coast harpsmith Sugar Ray Norcia all display some wonderful work on the album. So let’s look at the package: comeback album of the year, great songwriting, excellent backing band, and some tasteful, soulful guitar playing for both blues and blues-rock fans. Looks like a winner. I bet we’re seeing at least one nod in the BMAs for this one this coming year....full text |
| Chicagotribune |
| Veteran blues guitarist Joe Louis Walker has been recording steadily since the mid’-80s, but “Hellfire” is his first album for Chicago-based Alligator Records. It is also his most rock-oriented release, with production and songwriting assistance from drummer Tom Hambridge, who has worked with Susan Tedeschi and Buddy Guy on some of their biggest commercial successes....full text |
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