On his dynamic new CD, Hornet’s Nest, Walker’s music is equal parts rock ‘n’ roll fire and blistering, passionate blues. The New York Times raves, “Walker is a singer with a Cadillac of a voice. He delivers no-nonsense, gutsy blues. His guitar solos are fast, wiry and incisive, moaning with bluesy despair.” Rolling Stone simply calls him “ferocious.”
Hornet’s Nest was recorded in Nashville and produced by songwriter/drummer Tom Hambridge (producer of James Cotton’s Grammy-nominated Cotton Mouth Man, Buddy Guy’s Grammy-winning CDs Skin Deep and Living Proof, as well as albums for Susan Tedeschi, George Thorogood and Walker’s previous CD, Hellfire). Hornet’s Nest—featuring 12 songs, including nine new originals—blends Walker’s boundless energy and his myriad influences into a contemporary blues tour-de-force. His always-inventive guitar playing is matched note-for-note by his fervent vocals. From menacing, hard rocking electric blues to cool Memphis funk to R&B rave-ups to Sunday morning gospel, Walker’s blues—fierce and untamed, adventurous and fun—continue to define the genre. In 2013, when The Blues Foundation inducted award-winning blues master Joe Louis Walker into The Blues Hall Of Fame.
According to Walker, the album, with Tom Hambridge at the helm, was a joy to make. The band—Hambridge on drums, Reese Wynans on B-3 organ and piano, Rob McNelley on guitar, and Tommy MacDonald on bass—pushed Walker to deliver his absolute best performances. “It comes through loud and clear,” Walker says. “If I don’t believe it, nobody is gonna believe it. And ain’t nobody is gonna listen to it or buy it. Tom made everything exciting.”
The wisdom and soul of the blues welded to the attack of rock, with Walker’s powerhouse voice and stinging guitar work setting the tone. Nine new originals, plus cool new versions of The Rolling Stones’ “Ride On, Baby” and Roy Hamilton’s “Don’t Let Go.” From raucous rockers like the title track and “Ramblin’ Soul” to the deep down blues of “Stick A Fork In Me” and “I’m Gonna Walk Outside,” Joe Louis Walker creates vital, modern-day roots music like no other. “Powerful, soul-stirring, fierce and gritty. A legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues” – NPR
