Ah, what a pleasure to be able to enjoy the Kentucky Headhunters in concert! This show has been recorded in the UK and all that could be said easily comes down to one sentence: it's in a tip-top form! Greg Martin remains an extremely formidable guitarist, Richard Young has an unusual sense of rhythm, Doug Phelps crushes his bass to serve the groove and Fred Young hits his drums expert but without adding a load. An energetic and punchy "Big boss man" provides the proof right from the beginning. The band continues with a blues-rock with a medium tempo ("Ragtop") followed by a good rock'n'roll in the style of the Headhunters ("Stumblin' "). Of particular note is the cover of "Have you ever loved a woman" in burning blues with solos that vibrate the backbone. Greg Martin is really a great guitarist! Those who have followed the Headhunters for a long time will be delighted to listen to the "Southern Rock" "Wishin 'Well" (a piece from the 1991 album "Electric Barnyard"). Still a bit of blues-rock with "My daddy was a milkman" and his powerful drum solo. The most surprising thing is this version of the "Don't let me down" of the Beatles performed with some musicians of Black Stone Cherry. But hey, we're still not going to be choosy. Finally, we have three recently discovered recordings with the late Johnnie Johnson (Chuck Berry's brilliant pianist): "Rock me baby" (a beefy Chicago blues), "Rock'n'roller" (a good boogie-rock like its name indicates it) and the famous "Hi heel sneakers" popularized by Jerry Lee Lewis. These three titles miraculously found testify to the immense talent of Johnnie. A real joy ! Here is an excellent album that will fill all rockers and lovers of good music. A record that goes to the crix of the matter by drawing directly on the basics of rock'n'roll which the band has always remained faithful. All this reminds me of a big Ed King TV interview on Blah Blah Metal (when M6 was a music channel) on the occasion of Lynyrd Skynyrd's visit to Paris. He was asked for his vision of Southern Rock in 1992. He replied in essence that if he had to give a name to illustrate this musical trend, it would be the Kentucky Headhunters. Quiet a reference! If only they could go through France ...

Olivier Aubry