All Your Love - Otis Rush
Song of the Day #5
Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/all-your-love-i-miss-loving/193677889?i=193678129
I will admit that I'm no electric blues connoisseur, but I will be shocked if anyone could rival Otis Rush in the electric blues scene in the 50s, maybe besides the 3 Ws of Chess. Maybe Otis Rush did not have the cockiness of Muddy, the overwhelming vocal power of Howlin' Wolf, or the swampy vibe of Sonny Boy Williamson II, but all three of those guys always sounded like it was at least a bit of an act at times. Could you ever imagine Howlin' Wolf walking around the block shredding his voice like that? Unlike them, Otis Rush's singles at Cobra always involve his authentic self first and foremost. When he sings lyrics like "My drowning heart / Oh all the tears I've cried / Oh I may weep forevermore / My love will never die," you get the feeling he really meant that, and if you aren't fully convinced, his guitar will do the trick of showing you.
That's why this song is such a masterpiece. Eric Clapton did a marvelous cover of the song on Bluesbreakers, where the production was crisp, his tones cut deep, and he added new guitar tricks to the song that worked perfectly (for example, hear how Clapton makes each sustained note on his guitar sizzle when the chorus begins). Yet, nothing compares to the original in terms of depth of emotion. The poorness of the production makes it sound like those horns are cracked and beaten down, simply bleeding with emotion. Mixing those Afro-Cuban rhythms with Otis's burning vocal performance makes the song such a gut-retching, desperate plea for holding onto one's love, and those solos once the groove transitions simply scorch into your soul. And that riff, you can't get away from such a magnificent riff.
Christ, words just fail me when it comes to this song, it's just one of the greatest pure blues recordings I've ever heard. It's considered a standard, but neither the rewrite of the song "Black Magic Woman" nor Clapton's version even begins to touch this sheer perfection. Be sure to give this song many, many listens: every single second of this recording is priceless.
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