| Portrait of the Blues | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Lou Rawls |
| Border: | yes |
| Released: | 1993 |
| Genre: | Blues, R&B |
| Label: | Manhattan[1] |
| Producer: | Michael Cuscuna, Billy Vera |
| Prev Title: | It's Supposed to be Fun |
| Prev Year: | 1990 |
| Next Title: | Christmas Is the Time |
| Next Year: | 1993 |
Portrait of the Blues is an album by the American singer Lou Rawls, released in 1993.[2] [3]
The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Albums chart.[4]
The album was produced by Michael Cuscuna and Billy Vera.[5] Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and Lionel Hampton were among the many musicians who contributed to the album. Rawls sings two Willie Dixon numbers: "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "My Babe".[6]
Stereo Review deemed the album "a treat," writing that it "benefits from the mellow horn arrangements of Hank Crawford and Benny Golson."[7] The New Pittsburgh Courier thought that "the disc's lightest moment is provided by a charming duet with Phoebe Snow on 'A Lover's Question'."[8] The Houston Chronicle wrote that Rawls "has seldom sounded better, and his urbane phrasing is cut with just the right amount of downhome grit."[9]
The Philadelphia Inquirer declared that "it sounds amazingly retro, a kind of rhythm-and-blues time capsule that's closer to his classic early recordings than anything else in a long time." The Times opined that Rawls's voice "has lost none of its velvet sheen."[10] The Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph called Portrait of the Blues "a contemporary blues masterpiece."[11]
AllMusic wrote that Rawls's "delivery and articulation give the songs an uptown flair."