Bobby "Blue" Bland & B.B. King - I Like To Live The Love (1993/2019)

Bobby "Blue" Bland and B.B. King worked together repeatedly over the years, some of their band members regularly performing with both stars. This live set has a vividly spontaneous feel to it; King introduces the second song by saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, nothing is planned tonight, so what I'm thinkin' is we're just gonna pull somethin' out of the hat and get right into it."

While Bland and King doubtless had a game plan for the night's possible contents, the set benefits from the edginess of a band and two front men responding in the moment to each other. Both men have honed their skills by performing continually over the decades, and their ease and grace on the stage is inspiring. The accompanying players possess a rough and tumble vigor one listen to the horns on "That's the Way Love Is" and you'll be hooked by the excitement of it all. The album is warmly recorded, retaining the feel of the live show with depth and clarity.