Chuck Berry

★★★

Live From Blueberry Hill DUALTONE. CD/DL/LP

Previously unreleased souvenir of Chuck’s decadeslong run of hometown gigs.

In 1997, Chuck Berry began an epic series of 209 consecutive monthly shows at the intimate St Louis club venue Blueberry Hill. This album is drawn from various 2005 and 2006 performances undertaken as he was approaching his 80th birthday, and in contrast to the one-off pick-up bands he used when touring, at Blueberry Hill Chuck was always backed by his regular team of musicians. Understandably, he doesn’t play so much lead guitar here as in earlier years, with many solos taken on piano by his longtime boogie sideman Robert Lohr, and some versions might leave you wanting to play the original Chess cuts instead. There is, however, a very nice laid-back reworking of Sweet Little Sixteen, and when Chuck cuts loose on Carol/Little Queenie or the fine closing

Johnny B Goode, the magic is very definitely still there. Max Décharné