Weepin' Willie's long-awaited debut album (he was 72 when he recorded it) finally got made thanks to the efforts of
Mighty Sam McClain, who co-produced the session, wrote or co-wrote five of the songs, and sang on three. Although
Willie waited 50 years to record this album,
At Last, On Time certainly doesn't sound like it was 50 years in the making --
McClain rather hastily steers
Willie's sound in more of a soul/R&B direction, which seems to have left
Willie relying on the arrangements instead of his usual blues instincts. Still,
Willie manages to find his stride here, especially on the slow blues numbers "Dirty Old Man," "They Call Me Weepin' Willie," and "Can't Go Wrong Woman," the latter featuring
Jimmy D. Lane on lead guitar. The other special guest on this album is
Susan Tedeschi, whose overpowering vocal histrionics, unfortunately, tend to clash with
Willie's subtler, dapper style of singing; furthermore, when
McClain chimes in on "Glory Train" and "Let the Good Times Roll,"
Willie's voice all but gets lost in the threesome. Perhaps
Willie didn't get as much room to stretch out as he would have liked, but his performance on
At Last, On Time nonetheless comes off as pretty solid. ~ Ken Chang