Help Yourself (Eddy Clearwater album)

Help Yourself
Studio album by Eddy Clearwater
Released	1992
Genre	Blues
Label	Blind Pig
Producer	Jerry Del Giudice, Michael Freeman
Eddy Clearwater chronology
Real Good Time: Live! (1990) Help Yourself (1992) Live at the Kingston Mines, 1978 (1992)

Help Yourself is an album by the American musician Eddy Clearwater, released in 1992. ^{[1] [2]} He supported the album with North American and international tours that included shows in Turkey. ^[3]

Production

The album was produced by Jerry Del Giudice and Michael Freeman. ^[4] Clearwater added elements of country music and rock and roll to his blues sound on many of the tracks. ^[5] His cousin Carey Bell played harmonica on the album. ^[6] The title track is a version of the Jimmy Reed song. ^[7] "All Your Love" is a cover of the Otis Rush song. ^[8] The interpretation of "Poison Ivy" was based on Willie Mabon's version of the song. ^[9] The closing track, "We're Out of Here", is an instrumental. ^[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
The Buffalo News	[5]
The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD	[9]
The Indianapolis Star	[12]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[13]
The Press of Atlantic City	[10]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	[8]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues	[14]

The Chicago Tribune said that Clearwater "serves up slow blues, shuffles and rockers, sad songs, think pieces and good jokes." ^[15] The Indianapolis Star opined that "Clearwater still sounds like a young Chuck Berry, notably on the rock and soul 'Little Bit of Blues'". ^[12] Stereo Review stated that "Clearwater has a compelling voice and properly rooted guitar style... He handles the pop-oriented material skillfully, including slivers of country-and-western, but he is at his best when he digs deep down into the blues". ^[6] The Washington Post concluded that "most [songs] feature toss-away lyrics ... and seem lightweight or derivative compared with the album's occasional strong points". ^[16] In 1996, the Toronto Star praised Clearwater's "unique, durable recipe of belting West Side blues and rockabilly rollers". ^[17]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Who Loves You Baby"
2.	"Help Yourself"
3.	"Set It Out"
4.	"All Your Love"
5.	"Chicago Weather Woman"
6.	"Crossover"
7.	"That's My Baby"
8.	"Big Time Gambler"
9.	"Little Bit of Blues"
10.	"Poison Ivy"
11.	"Messed Up World"
12.	"We're Out of Here"

References

1. Wright, Michael (November 1992). "Help Yourself by Eddy Clearwater". Audio. Vol. 76, no. 11. p. 124.
2. McCaughey, Scott (August 1, 1992). "Searchin' USA". The Rocket. No. 154. p. 47.
3. Kening, Dan (February 21, 1993). "The bluesman of Roselle". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
4. MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 85.
5. Esmonde, Donn (August 21, 1992). "Journeymen". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 39.
6. "Help Yourself by Eddy Clearwater". Stereo Review. Vol. 57, no. 11. November 1992. p. 125.
7. Reilly, Terry (February 5, 1993). "Red, Hot & Blue". The Age. p. EG4.
8. The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. 1999. p. 153.
9. Hadley, Frank-John (1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press. pp. 45–46.
10. Allen, Greg (June 26, 1992). "The Sighs have it; so does Eddy Clearwater". At the Shore. The Press of Atlantic City. p. 24.
11. "Help Yourself Review by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
12. Miley, Scott L. (August 7, 1992). "Eddy Clearwater Help Yourself". The Indianapolis Star. p. C5.
13. The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. pp. 125–126.
14. Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin Books. p. 81.
15. Heim, Chris (May 22, 1992). "Other shows of note". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. N.
16. Joyce, Mike (November 20, 1992). "Clearwater Blues Run Fast, Not Deep". Weekend. The Washington Post. p. 15.
17. Chapman, Geoff (June 15, 1996). "Previewing the sounds of downtown jazz fest". Toronto Star. p. J14.