After nearly thirty years and more than a dozen albums, one of the world’s preeminent blues bands is back. Not that B.B. and the Blues Shacks went all that far away. They just took a side trip through the world of soul-blues for a few years and a few releases.

On Reservation Blues this Hildesheim, Germany, based band returns to their strength, which is straight ahead West Coast meets Chicago 50’s and 60’s era blues via original material written by brothers Andreas and Michael Arlt. Guitarist Andreas and vocalist/harp man Michael lead the charge through this great new material.

This Rhythm Bomb Records debut is the best album the band has produced in years and rivals some of their top efforts.

Longtime bassist Henning Hauerken served as the recording and mixing engineer on this album. He does a superb job and delivers an album that retains that timeless feel which discerning fans of this music demand.

Fabian Fritz handles the piano and organ duties and the drummer is Andre Werkmeister. Like their bandmates, these musicians are first rate. The entire ensemble displays a professionalism and understanding of the blues dialect which is clearly evident. 

They are joined by guitarist Till Seidel on loan from his own band which bears his name. He plays rhythm on a couple of tracks. A two-piece horn section is a welcome addition to the band on four of the album’s fourteen tunes. They are Tom Muller on saxophone and Stefan Gossinger on trumpet.

B.B. and the Blues Shacks is one of the great live performing ensembles that the blues has produced over the past couple of decades. Michael Arlt is a first-rate entertainer and his older brother Andreas is a compelling guitar player with a seemingly endless bag of chops. He makes the right choices and plays with a fiery, yet restrained sense of cool, which makes for the perfect foil for his effusive brother. They complement each other and seem to bring out the best in one another in a live performance setting. Reservation Blues comes closest to capturing that energy in the studio.

If you are a long-time fan of this band, Reservation Blues will not disappoint. If you are new to the party, I say without any reservation, Reservation Blues is the perfect introduction to B.B. and the Blues Shacks. Either way, your table is ready but you may want to stop off at the dance floor first.

-   David Mac