Roots

iTunes Review

Texas blues legend Johnny Winter’s first studio album in more than seven years features such top-shelf guests as Sonny Landreth, Jimmy Vivino, Warren Haynes, John Popper, and Vince Gill performing old-school blues classics. While many of the choices are obvious, such as Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Workin’,” Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” with Vince Gill, and Elmore James’s “Dust My Broom” with Derek Trucks, the performances are anything but routine. Winter is a bluesman beyond compare, and given the chance to record a no-nonsense collection of favorites, he goes for the toughest, mightiest grooves he can get. “Done Somebody Wrong,” featuring Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes, is on fire. Jimmy Reed’s “Bright Lights, Big City,” with Susan Tedeschi, has all of the original’s seduction and joy. This is a career highlight for Winter, proof that he still has authority all these years later. It’s also one of the best modern blues albums available.