| King of the Blues: 1989 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Blues,pop | |||
| Length | 51:28 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| B. B. King chronology | ||||
| ||||
King of the Blues: 1989 is an album by the American musicianB. B. King, released in 1988.[1][2] It was nominated for aGrammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Recording".[3]
King supported the album with a North American tour, which was a hit due to his appearance inU2'sRattle and Hum.[4][5] King was disappointed that the album and tour did not find much success with Black audiences.[5]
Al Kooper was among the album's four producers.[6] Many of the tracks used drum machines; King was an adopter of home computers and curious about modern studio technology.[7][8]Steve Cropper played rhythm guitar.[9] "Drowning in the Sea of Love" was written byGamble and Huff.[10] "Can't Get Enough" was King's favorite track.[11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD | [13] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [10] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
TheOrlando Sentinel called the album a "bid for pop- crossover attention."[16] TheCalgary Herald wrote that "the songs are so mediocre as to actually give you the blues, and producer Al Kooper has drowned King's occasional stellar guitar work in a sea of keyboards and soulless drum programming."[17]The Kingston Whig-Standard determined that the album "is very contemporary and could easily give Robert Cray a run for his money in the blues-pop-soul category."[18] TheToronto Star labeled it "a bold, big electric blues album from the unassailable master of the field."[9] TheVancouver Sun noted thatKing of the Blues: 1989 was "more structured and tight than previous albums."[19]
AllMusic concluded: "Over-glossed R&B tracks, heavy doses of keyboards and drum programming are an ideal way to make albums for the pop charts, but for B.B. King, they are tools of disaster."[12] King's biographer, Daniel de Vise, deemed the album perhaps "the low ebb of his recording career."[1]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(You've Become a) Habit to Me" | |
| 2. | "Drowning in the Sea of Love" | |
| 3. | "Can't Get Enough" | |
| 4. | "Standing on the Edge" | |
| 5. | "Go On" | |
| 6. | "Let's Straighten It Out" | |
| 7. | "Change in Your Lovin'" | |
| 8. | "Undercover Man" | |
| 9. | "Lay Another Log on the Fire" | |
| 10. | "Business with My Baby Tonight" | |
| 11. | "Take Off Your Shoes" |