Buddy Guy - Ain't Done With The Blues (2025) CD-Rip

Buddy Guy stands his ground as a blues journeyman and icon on 2025's Ain't Done With the Blues. His 20th studio album, it arrives just as the legendary, Lousiana-born guitarist and singer celebrates his 89th birthday. It also comes on the heels of his surprise appearance in director Ryan Coogler's hit vampire action-drama Sinners; a role that built crucially on Guy's storied blues reputation and which he also underscores on Ain't Done With the Blues. The album once again finds him working with longtime producer/drummer Tom Hambridge, digging into a blend of rootsy and soulful sounds that bring to mind each era of his career. On "Been There Done That," he underscores the epic, journeyman nature of his life, singing "I shake my head and I can't believe the hell that I've been through/My life is like a movie, but every scene is true." While Guy's trademark, swaggering electric twang is the core sound on the album, there are several moments of earthy acoustic intimacy, including the opening "A Hooker Thing," where we hear him exclaim that the John Lee Hooker-style shuffle was one of the first things he learned. Later, he evokes the spirit of Lightnin' Hopkins on "One from Lightnin'," an acoustic reworking of the Muddy Waters standard "Gypsy Woman." As well as his own history, he spotlights the next generation, joining forces with 26-year-old guitarist Christone "Kingfish" Ingram on the funky "Where U At." Conversely, he offers a trilogy of team-ups with other guitar legends, diving into the sludgy "How Blues Is That" with Joe Walsh, conjuring a soulful world-weariness on "Dry Stick" with Joe Bonamassa, and trading some heavy Chicago blues riffs on "It Keeps Me Young" with Peter Frampton. He also surrounds himself with the warm gospel harmonies of the Blind Boys of Alabama on "Jesus Loves the Sinner." Elsewhere, he slides into the slow electric grind of "Blues on Top" and serves up some punchy, horn-driven R&B on "Upside Down." While there's certainly a fun, barroom swagger to Guy's work here, he isn't too afraid to dig into deeper emotions. This is especially true on "I Don't Forget," a defiantly ruminative, minor-key anthem about growing up in a racist society, punctuated by a searing electric guitar solo. With Ain't Done With the Blues, Guy has made an album that encapsulates his long career, just as it proves how vital an artist he remains.