When Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites arrived five years ago this summer, Jimmie Vaughan hadn’t done many records since leaving the Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1989. There were, in fact, only four releases since his memorable Family Style collaboration with brother Stevie Ray Vaughan in 1990; Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites was his first work of any kind in nine years.
Pay close attention, however, to the word “favorites” in the title. Except for a single instrumental, this one offers no new songs by Jimmie Vaughan. As we’d recently seen, folks like Steve Miller — whose “Hey Yeah,” the first single from 2010’s Bingo, was co-written by Jimmie — think much of his songwriting. But that’s alright, really, because the music on Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites is terrific. Every track sounds like R&B, blues and early rock and roll from the 1950s.
Jimmie Vaughan’s old Fabulous Thunderbirds bandmate Kim Wilson took a similar tact himself before, but Wilson’s Lookin’ For Trouble was rough and smoky. Vaughan’s Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites, with its horns and warm, clean production is the smoother side of the ’50s. Jimmie Vaughan is a good enough singer, but bringing in Lou Ann Barton and her brassy pipes to lead or co-lead sing on several of the tracks only made a good thing better.
Most of the songs selected are ones you’ve never heard of before, but you’ll wonder why. Jimmie and Lou Ann’s rendition of “I’m Leaving It Up To You” puts Donny and Marie’s version to shame. And Vaughan’s guitar? That’s probably the most ’50s thing about this record. He sounds so much like T-Bone Walker in how he bends the strings, and he won’t play any solo note that doesn’t swing.
Since, Jimmie Vaughan has only released a sequel to this project, titled Plays More Blues, Ballads & Favorites. So, we’re still waiting for Vaughan to give us an album of fresh new tunes – but not, thankfully, for an album worth listening to.
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