Jackson Price and the Blues Rockets - I Used to Have Fun (Self-Released)

Jackson Price and the Blues Rockets are a blues quartet based in New Mexico, and late last year they put out their debut album I Used to Have Fun. In days like these of self-isolation, the title has never been more accurate nor Price’s humorous yet cynically honest lyrics more relevant. The album is a collection of scorching, sun-baked blues rock in the vein of Eric Claption, The Allman Brothers, and early ZZ Top, and although Price started out as an actor in Los Angeles, there is a rare authenticity and credibility to the band’s sound that could have easily found a home in the late ’60s or early ’70s.

With titles like “Bald, Fat, and 45” and “Bones Get Old,” the songwriter clearly has a light, comedic touch with his lyrics, but Price and his group take their jobs completely seriously. This is hard-hitting blues at its rawest, especially on tracks like “So Much Time” and “I’m Gone.” Another highlight here is the slow-burning “Thank You B.B.” an obvious tribute to the style of the legendary B.B. King. I Used to Have Fun doesn’t attempt to reinvent the blues, but perhaps that’s why it’s so great. Jackson Price acknowledges his debts to his musical heroes, and focuses on simply playing the blues as best he knows how.