Big Jack Johnson
The Memphis Barbecue Sessions (M.C. Records)
Mississippi bluesman Jack Johnson never got big in the first place, but suddenly the talented singer-guitarist, 61, needs a comeback album. A regional hero, “The Oilman” gradually expanded his base after appearing in the early-’90s documentary “Deep Blues.” After logging 300 road shows a year, he took a break from “nagging injuries” and did these quick acoustic sessions with ex-Fabulous Thunderbirds harpist Kim Wilson and Chicago piano great Pinetop Perkins. The trio goes heavy on classics (Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning,” Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom”), coming off as relaxed and spontaneous as the CD title suggests. But the conservative Wilson and Perkins never push Johnson to the innovation of which he’s capable.