Part two of an impressive double-whammy comeback that began last year with Bingo! – the first new Steve Miller album since 1993’s Wide River – Let Your Hair Down is a collection of cheerful covers that harkens back to the singer-guitarist’s authentic blues roots.
Spotted with gemstones like Jimmy Reed’s Close Together, Muddy Waters’ Can’t Be Satisfied and Willie Dixon’s Love The Life I Live – to all of which Miller brings his typically easy-fit spruce – what makes the album more delightful are less expected forays like Junior Wells’ and Buddy Guy’s Snatch It Back And Hold It (featuring Miller’s long- time musical compadre, the late Norton Buffalo on harp) and Jimmy McCracklin’s The Walk.
Available on ‘standard’ and ‘special’ editions (the later with four bonus tracks), there isn’t a dull moment to be found – a credit to the enduring power of both the blues and Miller’s own artistic fortitude.
