NEW ALBUMS
JOHN MAYALL
The Sun Is Shining Down FORTY BELOW
Blues legend in (slightly) eclectic mood
7/10
The blues is a given, but on his 37th album, veteran Mayall enthusiastically opens the door to funk and soul elements. There’s meat to the mixing of styles when The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell straps in for Bernard Allison’s “Chills And Thrills”, while Scarlet Rivera’s violin provides a pleasingly melodic counterpoint to a brace of originals, the slinky “Got To Find A Better Way” and a strutting reboot of “Deep Blue Sea”, first heard on 1970’s USA Union. It’s ultimately Mayall’s show, however, cutting a crucial rug with long-serving Chicagobased rhythm section of bassist Greg Rzab and drummer Jay Davenport.