Mud Morganfield opened his latest tour at Selby Town Hall last night, and together with Giles Robson and the Dirty Aces, created an intimate evening of hot Chicago blues.

Mud is the eldest son of blues legend Muddy Waters, the man whose influence on British rock and blues cannot be over stated, but Mud is tending his father’s legacy well, and at times it could have been ‘Pop’ himself you were listening to, such is the uncanny similarity of their voices.

The band were more slick than dirty, but this is what happens when you let white boys play the blues. Make no mistake The Dirty Aces are excellent, and while Mud nailed it vocally, the sound missed Muddy’s groaning guitar to be completely authentic.

Back in 1972 Muddy himself bemoaned that “if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man,” which was his way of saying that as brilliant as they were, the super-group of Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Rick Grech and Mitch Mitchell he’d recruited to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions couldn’t produce “the Muddy Waters sound.”

Point made, but all forgotten as Mud mesmerised the enthusiastic audience with classics such as Honey Bee, Hoochie Coochie Man, Mannish Boy, and best of all The Same Thing that really did get down and dirty.

Brilliant stuff from the son of the gun. Long may Mud’s Mojo keep working.

*Mud Morganfield and The Dirty Aces appeared at Selby Town Hall on Thursday, November 4, 2010.

You can keep up with the guys at myspace.com/mudandthedirtyaces>>