Heavy Love (Buddy Guy album)

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Heavy Love
Heavy Love (Buddy Guy album) cover.jpg
Studio album by
Buddy Guy
Released1998
Genre Blues, blues rock
Label Silvertone [1]
Producer David Z
Buddy Guy chronology
As Good As It Gets
(1998)		Heavy Love
(1998)		 Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy
(1999)

Heavy Love is an album by the American blues musician Buddy Guy, released in 1998. [2] [3] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album". [4]

Contents

The album peaked at No. 163 on the Billboard 200. [5]

Production

Produced by David Z, the album was recorded in Nashville. [6] In an attempt to get the album played on popular radio, Guy added synthetic drums and tape loops to some tracks. [7]

Jonny Lang duets with Guy on the album's lead single, "Midnight Train". [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Age Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [13]
The Hamilton Spectator Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]

Entertainment Weekly wrote that the album focuses on "tight songs, concise, off-kilter solos, funk-tinged grooves, and impassioned vocals." [13] The Daily Herald called "Did Somebody Make a Fool Outta You" "a mesmerizing piece of fretwork and utter soul." [17] The Chicago Tribune opined that "the methodical finale, 'Let Me Show You', showcases the singer's soft, tearful, underrated voice." [18] The Hamilton Spectator noted that "a Buddy Guy album is the only place where the volume faders are often turned down to 2 rather than consistently bombarding your ears at 11." [14]

AllMusic thought that "purists will cringe at the unabashed commercial concessions," but acknowledged that "Heavy Love works well when compared to the modern electric blues of the post-Stevie Ray Vaughan era, especially since Guy once again contributes some scorching solos." [10] (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed the album "refreshingly modern, if uneven." [16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Heavy Love"5:39
2."Midnight Train"5:21
3."I Got a Problem"5:17
4."I Need You Tonight"5:17
5."Saturday Night Fish Fry"5:29
6."Had a Bad Night"4:43
7."Are You Lonely for Me Baby"3:55
8."I Just Want to Make Love to You"3:25
9."Did Somebody Make a Fool Out of You"7:49
10."When the Time Is Right"4:32
11."Let Me Show You"5:34

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ "The Year in Blues". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 26, 1998 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Clarke, John (June 13, 1998). "Blues Choice". Features. The Times. p. 11.
  3. ↑ Perry, Jonathan (May 22, 1998). "Damn Right, He's Buddy Guy". Rolling Stone.
  4. ↑ "Buddy Guy". GRAMMY.com. December 15, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Buddy Guy". Billboard.
  6. ↑ "Buddy Guy, Torchbearer for Windy City Blues". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  7. ↑ Sculley, Alan (September 17, 1998). "Buddy Guy Takes Blues Tradition into the '90s". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 18.
  8. ↑ "The Big Guy of Blues on Three Stages". Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  9. ↑ Reilly, Terry (July 10, 1998). "CD Reviews". Entertainment Guide. The Age. p. 10.
  10. 1 2 "Heavy Love - Buddy Guy | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  11. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Buddy Guy". www.robertchristgau.com.
  12. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 49.
  13. 1 2 "Heavy Love". Entertainment Weekly.
  14. 1 2 Krewen, Nick (June 16, 1998). "Heavy Love". The Hamilton Spectator. p. C8.
  15. ↑ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 235.
  16. 1 2 (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 352–353.
  17. ↑ Guarino, Mark. "Chicago Red Hots Smashing Pumpkins and Buddy Guy make it a summer of love". Time Out. Daily Herald. p. 4.
  18. ↑ Knopper, Steve (June 7, 1998). "Buddy Guy". Arts & Entertainment. Chicago Tribune. p. 21.
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