Black Magic

Released

Magic Sam’s second album was his last; he died of a heart attack at 32, less than a month after it was released. It leaves one wondering what he might have achieved had he lived longer, because the music here is a determined evolution of Chicago blues, pushing it in the direction of R&B without losing any of its grit or the raw emotion at its core. His guitar playing is sharp and savage; he unleashes stinging solos as rhythm guitarist Mighty Joe Young chops out fierce, emphatic chords and drummer Odie Payne Jr. keeps the rhythm danceable at all times; “You Belong To Me” could have been a Stax single, while “You Don’t Love Me Baby” rides a strutting backbeat, and “I Have the Same Old Blues” has the loping, almost country feel of Albert King. 

Phil Freeman