John Mayall

Talk About That

Blues legend shows how it’s done

John Mayall may be 83 years old, but you would never guess it from this new album release by the prolific blues veteran. Ever since the mid-1960s, Mayall has been at the forefront of pioneering British blues. He has introduced the world to players such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor, and that only accounts for about four years of The Bluesbreakers. On Talk About That, Mayall is joined for a couple of tracks by another legend, in the form of Joe Walsh, who said of the experience: “It has been a bucket list item since 1970 to play with John Mayall… finally got the chance.” The two tracks concerned are The Devil Must

Be Laughing and Cards On The Table and they probably represent the guitar high spots of the disc, with Walsh adding his distinctive six-string footnotes to Mayall’s tortured lyrics. Other than that, guitar duties fall to the immensely capable Rocky Athas. Look out for live dates at Ronnie Scott’s this April. [DM] Standout track: Cards On The Table For fans of: Bluesbreakers, early Fleetwood Mac