Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials (from the album Slideways

Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials (from the album Slideways

Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials (from the album Slideways available on Alligator Records) (by Danny McCloskey)

Authenticity is an easy trait for Blues fans to see, hear, and feel from the performers on stage stretching across dive bars and on to festival stages. That sense of real is important to the musicians as well when they strive for capturing a vintage sound while performing their brand of the Blues for a contemporary crowd. Luckily for Lil’ Ed & The Imperials, the band have no need to reach for credibility. They are the bar for others to weigh worth, and hold on to the Blues they first brought to the world in the mid-1980’s with their debut on Alligator Records. Helmed by the ever-fashionable Lil’ Ed Williams and his fire-breathing slide guitar, the band has continued to provide high-end Blues albums and performances for a worldwide community. 

Hometown Chicago heroes, Lil’ Ed & The Imperials release their tenth album, Slideways, co-produced by Lil’ Ed Williams and Alligator head honcho (and founder), Bruce Iglauer. Continuing their smooth domination of the world, Slideways is the next installment in a career that spans nearly forty years. Lowdown Blues receives a nod in the melodies of “Homeless Blues” as Slideways feels rubber hit the highway with a brand-new love in “One Foot on the Brake, One Foot on the Gas”, making the turn as it crosses “13th Street and Trouble”, and adds hints of “St. James Infirmary” as it amplifies the beat and makes a bedside prayer to the spirit slipping away in “If I Should Lose Your Love”.
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There is a caution label spelled out over a late-night, after-hours groove when Lil’ Ed & The Imperials issue a warning for “Wayward Women” with the slowly bubbling Blues that cruises underneath the song while they proudly claim their own quirks in “Bad All by Myself”. A funky rhythm percolates as Slideways ponders “What Kind of World is This?” as the album welcomes the sharp-angled riffs of “Crazy Love Affair”. Lil’ Ed & The Imperials sing a song for “The Flirt in the Car Wash”, exiting Slideways with Blues wisdom emblazoned on “You Can’t Strike Gold in a Silver Mine”. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
Listen and buy the music of Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials website