Artist: JOHNNY WINTER
Album: LET ME IN (CD)

Release date: 1991
Media type: CD

One of Johnny Winter's relatively few major-label albums since leaving Columbia in the late '70s, 1991's LET ME IN is happily free of any attempts to enhance his blues-rock sound with slick embellishments. Surrounded by a tight band featuring a full horn section, Winter plays and sings in his usual style, with a minimum of flash--Winter's probably the most economical blues-rock guitarist there is--and plenty of good humor.

The surprise is in Winter's vocals. Stuck with a fairly thin and reedy voice, he has never been as adept a singer as he is a guitarist, but on LET ME IN, his voice has a newfound power and authority. His renditions of the standards "Illustrated Man" and "Life Is Hard" are so sure and true that they sound like originals. There's also the bonus of Dr. John adding his patented New Orleans voodoo boogie to four tracks.

Recorded at Streeterville, Chicago, Illinois.

TRACKLIST:

1. Illustrated Man
2. Barefootin'
3. Life Is Hard
4. Hey You
5. Blue Mood
6. Sugaree
7. Medicine Man
8. You're Humbuggin' Me
9. If You Got a Good Woman
10. Got to Find My Baby
11. Shame Shame Shame
12. Let Me In
13. You Lie Too Much

LINE-UP:

Johnny Winter (vocals, guitar)
Billy Branch (harmonica)
Dr. John, Ken Saydak (piano)
Jeff Ganz (bass)
Tom Compton (drums)