It's always been said that the best blues are born of adversity, and if that's true, then Kenny Neal's Let Life Flow album should be considered a masterpiece. Since 2004, the charismatic blues musician has lost several family members, including his father, blues harpist Raful Neal. His sister Jackie was tragically murdered, and his brother Ronnie died of hepatitis C. Long-time family collaborator, drummer Kennard Johnson, also died during this time. Then, to top it off, Kenny was also diagnosed with hepatitis C, knocking the hard-touring musician off the road for almost two years.
Let Life Flow
Neal used the time that he was sidelined to work up a fine batch of new songs with his son, Kenny Jr. The result is Let Life Flow, a wonderful reaffirmation of life and all of its wonders. The title track offers up some Southern rock-styled guitar licks, along with a generous groove, Neal's gritty vocals, and the spare use of horns for punctuation to help convey the song's positive message. "Blues, Leave Me Alone" is a Chicago-styled funkateer with a clever turn of a phrase, precise six-string leads, and a shuffling lope that accentuates the song's defiant edge.
Although it wasn't written by Neal, "You've Got To Hurt Before You Heal" is an entirely appropriate addition to Let Life Flow. Backed by loose, subtle instrumentation with R&B accents, the song highlights Neal's soulful vocals, which are reminiscent of Otis Redding here. The gumbo-and-boudan flavor of "Louisiana Stew" is a stylistic return home for Neal, a sly swamp-blues romp that showcases his mouth harp skills, a talent often overshadowed by the artist's considerable six-string abilities.
Two Sides Of Romance
The slow-burning "Starlight Diamond," written by Kenny's brother Raful Jr., is a delightful take on love and romance while "Broken Dreams" offers the other side of the coin. A classic "love-gone-bad" blues song, the heartbroken wordplay is underlined by Neal's elegant guitar lines, tearful vocals, and a steady, cautious rhythm with constant cymbal brushes.
Neal's work-out on the timeless Ivory Joe Hunter gem "Since I Met You Baby" is pure gold, beginning with his trembling guitar tone and nuanced phrasing, to his blustery R&B-styled singing. Combine Lucky Peterson's wry piano playing with an energetic guitar solo, and you have a classic take on a great song. "It Don't Make Sense You Can't Make Peace," an ominous Willie Dixon song, was written about another distant war but, in Neal's capable hands, it has just as much relevance today. With a dark-hued soundtrack, Neal's somber vocals, and Latin-tinged horns, it offers a powerful performance to end Let Life Flow.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
Kenny Neal's Let Life Flow is so doggone good that it might just win the talented bluesman a second "Best Album" award from the Blues Foundation. Writing, playing, and singing with a renewed sense of purpose and energy, Neal has taken the tragedies of the past few years and, in the best blues tradition, turned them into great songs and performances. His fanciful guitarwork ranges from spry single-note leads that are scattered across the song to meaty riffs and funky rhythms. With an overall lyrical theme of perseverance and hope, Let Life Flow shows that Kenny Neal still has a few tricks left in his gris-gris bag. (Blind Pig Records)
