BB King: Reflections

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * *)

King could coast into a dignified old age and on paper this collection of r'n'b standards might be the evidence. But you can't deny the distinctive guitar sound and vocal style (sounding a little stretched these days) and although this is a little too drenched in strings and occasionally has a toothache-inducing sentimentality (A Mother's Love), the grand old man of the blues, 78 this year, still pulls out gems.

His versions of Always on My Mind and Wonderful World suffer in the comparison with previous definitive versions but on the ballads On My Word of Honour, I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, and There I've Said It Again he sounds as if his heart is cracking with love, regret, and the knowledge that honest promises made for true passion are often unwittingly broken.

Label: Universal