By Sonny Boy Lee
Copyright © 1999-2004

Sixty-six year old James Peterson has been playing the blues for 46 years and has been recording since 1970. Wrong Bed! is the guitarist, singer and songwriter’s seventh album.

The CD was produced by James and his famous son, Lucky Peterson. Other family members, including his wife and daughter, lent their support. Recorded in Dallas, it was engineered by DeWayne Riley and mixed by Jon Ligon.

All of the songs were written by James, which is refreshing for a blues album. Way too often, blues records contain rehashed versions of well known classic songs — appearing to be just filler material. This is not the case with Wrong Bed!

The CD kicks off with the title track, "Wrong Bed," and for me, the late Z.Z. Hill comes to mind. It has that same groove and feel. Some might say that this style of Rhythm and Blues is dated, but this is the real thing. There are no annoying drum machines, samples, boring synthesizers or monotonous vocals.

"Keep on Pumpin’," "Memphis Smoke" and "You Gotta Pay" get into an Albert Collins kind of groove with songs that are in the slot and allow musicians to stretch out and jam. There is a neat wah-wah guitar solo on "You Gotta Pay."  James gets down on some slow blues with "Blood Runs Cold" and gets biographical with "Four Little Boys," which deals with his mother’s untimely death in 1939. This is not lightweight material, my friends. James speaks from his soul — honest and on the mark. But he also knows how to inject humor into his material, something that is sadly lacking in most blues recordings today. Too many contemporary blues performers take themselves way too seriously.

A wah-wah slide guitar weaves through "Right Place, Wrong Time." "Cryin’ Time" is reminiscent of earlier blues ballads in the vein of "I Found a Love" (Wilson Pickett) and "Cry Baby" (Garnet Mimms). Those songs were cool when they were first produced and they are cool today.

James Peterson’s most recent offering sounds great. The musicianship is top rate and a listening pleasure.

Review Copyright © 1998-2004 Sonny Boy Lee and San Antonio Blues Society, Inc.
CD cover, photo Copyright © 1998-2004 HownDog Records & Artist Management.
All rights reserved.