ZZ Top legend Billy F Gibbons drops his second-ever solo release, The Big Bad Blueson September 21, 2018. This is the follow-up to his acclaimed 2015 Afro-Cuban-flavored solo album Perfectamundo.

The Big Bad Blues, as the title suggests, focuses on Gibbons’ lifelong love of the blues and rock & roll, showcasing the blues-influenced vocals and guitar licks that have together served as the foundation for his numerous hits over the past five decades. The album features 11 tracks balancing some classic covers like “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” and “Standing Around Crying,” along with some of Billy’s signature new blues originals.

“We successfully made our way through those uncharted waters with the Cubano flavor of Perfectamundo and completed the journey,” says Gibbons in distinguishing The Big Bad Blues from its predecessor. “The shift back to the blues is a natural. It’s something which our followers can enjoy with the satisfaction of experiencing the roots tradition and, at the same time, feeling the richness of stretching the art form.”

Gibbons, of course, has long been one of the most important and influential artists to emerge from the blues traditions, carrying it forward in a career honored by his 2004 induction, with ZZ Top, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As he notes, he was blues-influenced “right from the beginning—and it’s never let up.”

“There’s something very primordial within the art form,” he says. “Nobody gets away from the infectious allure of those straight-ahead licks!”

 

The Big Bad Blues, released on September 21. Pre-order HERE.