Eddie Tigner

Slippin’ In

Genial bluesman Eddie Tigner, 81, has lived through all of modern music’s fads and stylistic shifts, while remaining steadfastly dedicated to his deeply rooted love of the blues. A touring member of the legendary Ink Spots for three decades and a respected fixture of the local blues scene, the keyboardist/vocalist hasn’t taken much time to document his own stuff. Thus, Slippin’ In is the Macon native’s second solo record of his lengthy career, recorded exactly a year ago at Jeff Bakos’ studio on Ponce. The wonderfully retro production, from veteran blues preservationist Paul Linden, sounds like a dusty treasure from the fertile, pre-British Invasion blues resurgence. Kicking off the disc with the soulful, Hammond-powered swing of “Heartbreak (It’s Hurtin’ Me),” the collection veers from fun novelties (“Did You Ever See a Monkey Play a Fiddle”) to cool originals, highlighted by the sly, Tigner-penned title track. 4 stars