Lonnie Mack – Whatever’s Right

This is the first of three albums that Lonnie Mack recorded for Electra Records between 1969 and 1971 and is a very good and musically solid effort from Lonnie, with his guitar playing almost to the fore as you would expect.

With a line-up of familiar faces in the band including former James Brown bassist Tim Drummond, pianist Dumpy Rice, harmonica player Rusty York, keyboardist David Byrd and on vocals the Sherlie Matthews Singers, the one and only Mack pulls from the dust some memorable tracks including the Falcons’ “I Found A Love,” Bobby Bland’s “Share Your Love with Me,” Little Walter’s “My Babe,” and Jimmy Reed’s “Baby What You Want Me To Do,” together with his own “Gotta Be An Answer”.

Of the aforementioned “Share Your Love With Me” was one of Bland’s best with Lonnie making it even better and “I Found A Love” reminds everyone why artists like Bobby Womack and Wilson Pickett took them seriously Lonnie Mack.

The album includes ten tracks, eight covers and two original compositions by Mack. The covers are mostly blues and soul from the late 50’s and early 60’s and apart from those mentioned above, Wilson Pickett’s “I found A love” and Hank Ballard’s “Tears On Your Letter” stand out. The strangest cover of the album however is that of country music star Leon Paynes “Things Have Gone To Pieces”. Of the two originals “Mt. Healthy Blues” is exactly what its title says, a mountain of a seven-minute blues that keeps swelling, and “Gotta Be An Answer” ends the album on an upbeat note, possibly hinting at his religious beliefs Mack.

Lonnie Mack was a very complicated man. From almost all indications, he was a
musician of incredible power and ability. Popular music genres were beginning to blur into his playing.

Of course, all this has no meaning when the disc is placed on the turntable. Whatever’s Right is truly the perfect title for a record that transcends the problematic and the simple. If one is looking for true American music from an electric guitar god, then this is a good place to start or continue. Lonnie had a career both before and after this musical moment. And he had periods of disappearance and dissatisfaction. Complicated is only half of this recording, which really documents what’s right.

Through Whatever’s Right I select a cover of soul/jazz singer Azie Mortimer’s track first released in 1963, “Untouched By Human Love”.

Tracklist

A1. Untouched By Human Love 3:39
A2. I Found A Love 3:32
A3. Share Your Love With Me 4:09
A4. Teardrops On Your Letter 4:10
A5. Baby What Do You Want Me To Do 2:49
B1. Mt. Healthy Blues 6:47
B2. What Kind Of World Is This 4:03
B3. My Babe 2:34
B4. Things Have Gone To Pieces 2:53
B5. Gotta Be An Answer 2:41