Otis Spann Is the Blues


Otis Spann Is the Blues is an album by blues pianist and vocalist Otis Spann, recorded in New York in 1960 and released by the Candid label.

Reception

AllMusic reviewer Ron Wynn stated: "Spann provided wonderful, imaginative, tasty piano solos and better-than-average vocals, and was arguably the best player whose style was more restrained than animated. Not that he couldn't rock the house, but Spann's forte was making you think as well as making you dance, and the tracks on Otis Spann Is the Blues will do both".
John Wilson assigned the album 4 stars in his DownBeat review. He wrote, "Spann plays compelling, pungent piano accompaniment to his own singing and to Lockwood’s as well and the two men team up for an unusual mixture of starkness and polish in their accompaniment to Lockwood’s singing of My Daily Wish. Between them, they have put together an attractive collection of strongly projected, un-gimmicked blues that draw heavily on the basic essentials of the style".

Track listing

All compositions by Otis Spann except where noted
  1. "The Hard Way" − 5:02
  2. "Take a Little Walk with Me" − 3:25
  3. "Otis in the Dark" − 4:32
  4. "Little Boy Blue" − 3:38
  5. "Country Boy" − 4:24
  6. "Beat-Up Team" − 5:59
  7. "My Daily Wish" − 4:26
  8. "Great Northern Stomp" − 4:15
  9. "I Got Rumbling On My Mind #2" − 4:02
  10. "Worried Life Blues" − 4:20

Personnel