John Mayall – The Sun Is Shining Down

Ahh, this one’s a little bittersweet. Early in 2022, John Mayall released his 36th studio album, “The Sun Is Shining Down.” He was 88 years old when he recorded this, and, as seems to be customary for the older blues musicians, it’s an album of collaborations. Although: wasn’t that always the case with Mayall? Still, this features highlighted contributions from younger musicians like Melvin Taylor, Jake Shimabukuro, and the marvelous Carolyn Wonderland, who played lead for his live performances for the last several years. What I think is my favorite track, “Got To Find A Better Way,” features sublime fiddling from Scarlet Rivera. Six of the ten tracks are new Mayall originals, and at that age, his voice seems completely undiminished. (Mayall’s vocals were, to me, always fine. Not incredible, but nothing wrong with them.) The songs are as good as anything he ever did, and Mayall’s playing – he’s contributing rhythm guitar, harmonica and Hammond B-3 – also seems unaffected by age. The guests are integrated seamlessly into the music – which was always Mayall’s talent, wasn’t it?

I got this in the summer of 2022 and marveled at it, as I had previously marveled at Buddy Guy’s most recent effort, and couldn’t help but reflect on the passing of time. They were both once considered young men of the blues, and now they were very much not. And since Mayall had been pretty consistently releasing new music every two to three years, it wasn’t unreasonable to think there might be another. But Mayall died last July (2024) at 90 – not a bad run, but it means that this was, indeed, his last album. It’s a good one to go out on. To leave such an excellent record behind as a final effort really tells what a remarkable, consistent talent Mayall was.

I’m certainly wishing I’d paid attention to Mayall earlier, as I certainly had opportunities to see him over the years. But so it goes. I’m enjoying discovering the depth of his catalog over the many, many years. From 1965 to 2022 – 57 years, and he just kept on doing it.

The final song, “The Sun Is Shining Down,” features these lyrics:

It’s been a long, long journey
And I ain’t got time to quit
Things are going so good so far
Not bad for some ol’ Brit
And I’m so glad, The sun is shining down on me
Got a home in California, And no place I would rather be