Robert Jr. Lockwood - Steady Rollin’ Man

Delmark 630

Robert Johnson has legions of disciples, but few were as openly devoted and derivative as Robert Jr. Lockwood, who had the added familial advantage of having the man for his stepfather. This 1970 album, Lockwood's first as a leader, comes from a stretch when he held the enviable position of first tier session guitarist in Chicago. Dates with Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters and other Windy City blues nobility were regular punches on his gig card and their subtle collective influence informs the session. The earned clout also comes through in the band Delmark assembled to back him. Dubbed The Aces, the fraternal team of guitarist Louis Myers and bassist Dave Myers along with blues drum doyen Fred Below were about the finest crew a front man could ask for.

Thirty-seven years on, it's hard not to hear this set with at least slightly jaded ears. The familiar shuffle and boogie rhythms that ground most of the cuts, have long since passed into the province of cliché and Lockwood's easygoing, avuncular style does little to shake things up. A track like the instrumental "Lockwood's Boogie" sounds as generic as its title, chugging along atop a simple rhythm with fret play that doesn't move outside the expected during its jukebox ready 3:03. As rendered here, the Johnson staples "Ramblin' on My Mind" and "Kind-Hearted Woman" vaporize in the shadow of their originals and while it's probably not a fair point of comparison, it does seem reasonable to expect Lockwood to invest them with a greater degree of personality and panache. One exception is a brilliant take on Joe Liggins' quasi-Latin "Tanya", the dual guitar frontline finally shirking off its self-imposed dampers and braiding in a scintillating arpeggiated weave. Otherwise, the album mostly sounds like a collection of studio exercises, the sort of prep pieces Lockwood would likely use to limber up prior to participating on a session by one of his higher profile employers. He passed on in 2005 at the age of 91, but prior to his departure he went on record denouncing this date as a lesser effort. I’m inclined to agree with him.

~ Derek Taylor