The blues are about nothing if they aren’t about overcoming adversity, and Elvin Bishop has surmounted more obstacles than most – he is, after all, an Okie cracker whose biggest hit came packaged with a lead vocal from future Starship captain and professional sucktard Mickey Thomas. That hasn’t stopped Bishop from acquiring something like god status in the blues pantheon, however – or from enjoying a critical and commercial renaissance over the last 20 years, churning out a series of solid sides for Alligator and Blind Pig. The Blues Rolls On finds Bishop on a new label, Delta Groove, but he’s surrounded himself with some old friends, including B.B. King, Tommy Castro, James Cotton, George Thorogood, Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band. Yep, it’s one of those albums – a kinda-sorta tribute to a living legend, heavy on the special guests – and as you might expect, The Blues Rolls On is a decidedly uneven affair. Bishop is in strong form throughout, and all of his guests acquit themselves admirably (particularly the Homemade Jamz Band and their nine-year-old drummer), but the record is drawn from a wide array of sessions, with some guests laying down parts in completely different studios, and as a result, it’s lacking the live feel and cohesion it really needs. Still, it’s a fun listen, and some of these tracks (like “Struttin’ My Stuff,” recorded with Haynes and Trucks, or the solo “Oklahoma”) are among the best of Bishop’s late-period work. (Delta Groove Music 2008)
