Lil’ Ed and the Blue Imperials – Jump Start (2012)

Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials are both a direct link back to the legacy of the old blues master J.B. Hutto and also the living template for Alligator Records’ rocking style of electrified roots music.

Their forthcoming release Jump Start, due on June 5, 2012, includes a cover of Hutto’s “If You Change Your Mind,” . The late Hutto was Williams’ uncle and musical mentor, drawing an unbroken line back to Chicago’s deepest blues.

Jump Start is a tour of force, as raucously felt and blisteringly articulated as anything Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials have ever done . These guys, since they finally nailed down their sound with this lineup more than two decades ago, have always made raw-boned, incendiary records that blend the deep emotions of old with the fiery intensity of the new. This one, though, might be their best yet.