Junior Watson
THE CALIFORNIA-BASED “BLUES GUITARIST’S BLUES GUITARIST” BRINGS IT AND SWINGS IT ON HIS LATEST, THE APTLY TITLED AIN’T NOTHIN’ TO IT BUT TO DO IT
By Dan Emerson
JUNIOR WATSON’S SWING-steeped playing style is a living link to the pre-rock era, when six-stringers like Charlie Christian, T-Bone Walker and Tiny Grimes were paving the way for the rock ‘n’ roll explosion of the 1950s. That immediately recognizable style is showcased on Watson’s new LP, Ain’t Nothin’ to It But to Do It (Little Village Foundation), his fifth album as a leader. It’s full of swingin’ blues executed with Watson’s fat tone, trademark humor and penchant for surprising listeners — like a ska version of the Duke Ellington swing standard “Caravan” — along with doses of string-weeping “deep” blues.