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Performer: Buddy Guy
Artist: Derek Trucks; Susan Tedeschi; Eric Clapton; Robert Randolph; Quinn Sullivan
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Susan Tedeschi (vocals); Quinn Sullivan, David Grissom (guitar); Derek Trucks (slide guitar); Lannie McMillan, Kirk Smothers (tenor saxophone); James L. Spake (baritone saxophone); Mark Franklin (trumpet); Reese Wynans (keyboards); Willie Weeks (bass guitar); Tom Hambridge (drums, tambourine, percussion); Wendy Moten, Bekka Bramlett (hand claps, background vocals). By the time SKIN DEEP was released in 2008, Buddy Guy was in his early 70s. The thing is, there are only a few tell-tale signs that Guy has aged any since his blistering work from the 1960s and `70s, and these signs-which include the slick, contemporary production, and the veteran-performer trend of having a parade of guest artists on the album-- are largely superficial. In truth, Guy still plays and sings like the urban blues monster he remains. From the slinky, sexy opener, "Best Damn Fool," to the blues history lesson of "Who's Gonna Fill Those Shoes," to the slow-burn closer "I Found Happiness," Guy doesn't seem to have mellowed with age. In fact, he wails and shreds here with as much passion as ever. Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and Robert Randolph all lend a hand, but Buddy is in charge here, much the way he has always been.

Rolling Stone (p.92) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Guy is a blues man, not a protest singer, and when he wields his ax with perfect restraint over the organ and loping bass line of 'I Found Happiness,' you best believe that's what he's done." Living Blues (p.39) - "SKIN DEEP is a return to form for Buddy Guy....On the opening track, 'Best Damn Fool,' Guy comes roaring out of the gate with a vicious guitar attack and a four-piece horn section blasting behind him."

Eric Clapton once called Buddy Guy "the greatest blues guitarist ever." Guy, along with contemporary Magic Sam, took the sounds of Chicago blues of the 1950s and ratcheted them up a notch, in the process creating a new form of controlled blues mayhem. Born in Louisiana, he moved to Chicago as a young man in 1957 and served an apprenticeship with Chicago blues king Muddy Waters while getting his own solo career underway. Guy's frequent collaborations with harmonica player Junior Wells are among his best work.

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