Otis Rush – Ain’t Enough Comin’ In (This Way Up, 1994)

This was my album of the year for 1994, so revisiting it brought back fond memories. Otis Rush hadn’t recorded in nearly ten years when this album was cut, and there were whispers that he was past his prime. Not so by a long shot – Rush, who had cut classic upon classic in the mid to late 1950’s had put together a checkered record of albums since then, but this brought it all together for this project – scalding guitar work, soulful vocals and a tight band with a killer horn section.

The album itself is a finely produced mix of up-tempo burners and mournful ballads. On the up-tempo front, there is the swaggering re-make of Rush’s classic “Homework” featuring some killer horn work and the swinging “She’s a Good’un” while the slow tempoed songs allow him to really stretch out with some beautiful single-line guitar playing and deeply emotional singing on songs like “My Jug and I” and the heartbreakingly intense “As the Years Go Passing By.”

This is one not to miss if you can find it, since I’m not sure if it’s still in print. Rush’s epochal 1950’s sides stand as some of the finest electric blues ever made, but these don’t stand too far behind, as an example of an older and wiser musician who still has a lot to say.

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