Johnny Winter - Second Winter

While the albino bluesman might not be such a big name this side of the pond, he’s always served up reliably sparky blues-rock from the Cream/Hendrix school. This 11-song effort shows why he made his name Stateside nearly 40 years ago. Memory Pain opens with his intricate guitar playing and sweet melody, before the funky fuzz of I’m Not Sure, with its trad feel juxtaposed with his dynamic, then-modern stylings. Sax and piano mark out the rock’n’roll of the forgettable Slippin’ & Slidin’, and covers of the like of Johnny B Goode are dated. An Allmans-like version of Highway 61 Revisited works, and gravely vocals and twanging frettage on I Love Everybody raise things before the jazz swing of I Hate Everybody leads to the seven-minute climax of the Mountain-esque Fast Life Rider. A couple of mono mixes are tagged on as bonuses.