Buddy Guy’s Ain’t Done with the Blues will be released on his 89th birthday. If one didn’t know that and listened to this record without any preamble whatsoever, one would think this is a mid-career bluesman in his prime.
Instead, Guy has been on his farewell tour for the better part of two years. Understandably, he lacks the onstage energy he once had, and his sets are relatively short, yet his vocals and guitar picking remain quite vital. His late career partnership with producer, drummer, and songwriter Tom Hambridge has proved most fruitful, and that collaboration shines again here. The advance press will hype the many guests – Joe Bonamassa, Joe Walsh, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Peter Frampton, and The Blind Boys of Alabama,…