| Midnight Lady Called the Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Label | Muse [1] | |||
| Producer | Doc Pomus, Dr. John | |||
| Jimmy Witherspoon chronology | ||||
| ||||
Midnight Lady Called the Blues is an album by the American musician Jimmy Witherspoon, released in 1986. [2] [3] It was recorded shortly after Witherspoon recovered from throat cancer. [4] Midnight Lady Called the Blues was dedicated to Big Joe Turner. [5] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male". [6]
The album was cowritten and coproduced by Doc Pomus and Dr. John; it was allegedly recorded in eight hours. [7] [8] [9] It was the first time that Witherspoon had songs written explicitly for him. [10] Hank Crawford played saxophone on the album. [9] Bernard Purdie played drums. [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
The Miami Herald determined that, "while Witherspoon is responsible for the blues vibrations in the studio, every musician shines in support." [9] The Washington Post called Midnight Lady Sings the Blues "one of the grittiest R&B albums he's ever made." [11] Cash Box deemed it "a saucy, creamy, steamy LP." [15] Glenn O'Brien in Spin found it "a powerfully soulful, mature record from a singer, two songwriters, and a great band, all at the height of their achievement." [16]
AllMusic wrote that "the spirited set has more than its share of interesting and exciting moments despite the obscurity of the material." [12] The Guardian noted that the album "gave [Witherspoon's] admirers almost unalloyed satisfaction, thanks partly to sympathetic collaborators, but chiefly to his sheer professionalism." [17] MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide dismissed it as "bland, uninspired." [14]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "New York Blues" | |
| 2. | "The Barber" | |
| 3. | "Blinded by Love" | |
| 4. | "Happy Hard Times" | |
| 5. | "Something Rotten in East St. Louis" | |
| 6. | "Midnight Lady Called the Blues" | |
| 7. | "Blues Hall of Fame" |
Jerome Solon Felder, known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer in 1992, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1992), and the Blues Hall of Fame (2012).
James Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.
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