Coming out of Houston's fertile
blues scene with
Albert Collins and
Johnny Copeland,
Johnny "Guitar" Watson trod the same route to fame that his peers did in the latter half of the '50s and for most of the '60s. Unlike
Collins and
Copeland, though,
Watson found his biggest success as a funkster in the '70s. And lest one thinks of an aging
blues legend embarrassing himself aping the innovations of
George Clinton and
Sly Stone,
Watson found a singular groove by slicking up his already urbane
blues style with lots of tasty horn arrangements, plenty of fat basslines, and wah-wah-issue guitar licks. The latter element, of course, was to be expected from a virtuoso such as
Watson. And whether reeling off one of his subtle solos or blending in with the band, the reborn
blues star was never less than compelling.
Ain't That a Bitch, from 1976, heralded
Watson's new
funk era with plenty of guitar treats and one of the best batch of songs he ever cooked up. The variety here is stunning, ranging from the
calypso-based
blues swinger
"I Need It" to the
quiet storm soul ballad "Since I Met You Baby." In between,
Watson goes widescreen with the comic book
funk of
"Superman Lover" and eases into an after-hours mood on the organ-driven
jazz and
blues gem
"I Want to Ta-Ta You Baby." Besides the fine
Watson roundups on the
Rhino and
Charly labels,
Ain't That a Bitch works beautifully as a first-disc choice for newcomers, especially those who want to hear the '70s
funk material. [The 2005
Shout reissue features the two previously unreleased bonus tracks
"Funkula" and
"Follow Me."] ~ Stephen Cook
