Ain't Enough Comin' In

Ain't Enough Comin' In is an album by the American musician Otis Rush, released in 1994.[2][3] It was Rush's first studio album in more than 15 years.[1] Ain't Enough Comin' In was regarded as a successful comeback album.[4][5][6]

Ain't Enough Comin' In
Studio album by
Released1994
GenreBlues, Chicago blues
LabelThis Way Up/Mercury[1]
ProducerJohn Porter
Otis Rush chronology
Blues Interaction: Live in Japan 1986 with Break Down
(1994)
Ain't Enough Comin' In
(1994)
Live & Awesome
(1996)

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Blues Album".[7] The title track won a W.C. Handy Award for "Song of the Year".[8] Rush supported the album with a UK tour.[9]

Production

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Recorded in Los Angeles, the album was produced by John Porter.[1] Ian McLagan played organ on the album; Billy Payne played piano.[10][11] The song "Homework" was first recorded by Rush in 1962, for Duke Records.[10] "A Fool for You" is a cover of the Ray Charles song.[12]

The album employed many of the same musicians as Buddy Guy's Feels Like Rain.[13]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [15]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide     [11]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings    [10]
USA Today    [16]

Entertainment Weekly declared that "singing and playing with Rush’s smoldering authority and depth ought to be illegal—or at least declared dangerous."[17] The Chicago Tribune appreciated that "there are no duet distractions on a well-constructed program that's dominated by sizzling covers of vintage Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Louis Jordan songs."[1] The New York Times called the album "excellent," writing that "Rush is one of the finest living exponents of Chicago blues."[18]

Rolling Stone opined that, "while Ain't Enough Comin' In would need a bit more frenzy on the frets to be the ultimate Otis Rush album, it's one of the best blues discs of the decade."[5] Stereo Review called Ain't Enough Comin' In "a strong album by a master talent," writing that "particularly satisfying is the title track, with its savvy allusion to the bass line that drove Michael Jackson's 'Billy Jean'."[19] USA Today deemed it "a solid step toward righting an often fumbled career."[16]

AllMusic wrote that "everything that makes Otis a unique master of his form is here to savor, from his passionate vocals to the shimmering finger vibrato he applies to the liquid tones of his Fender Stratocaster."[14] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide thought that it "has the best sound of any Rush album."[11]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Don't Burn Down the Bridge"Allen Alvoid Jones Jr. & Carl Lewis Wells4:29
2."That Will Never Do"Little Milton3:24
3."Somebody Have Mercy"  
4."A Fool for You"  
5."Homework"  
6."My Jug and I"  
7."She's a Good 'Un"  
8."It's My Own Fault"  
9."Ain't Enough Comin' In"  
10."If I Had Any Sense, I'd Go Back Home"  
11."Ain't That Good News"  
12."As the Years Go Passing By"  

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Dahl, Bill. "Right Place, Right Time?". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ^ "Otis Rush Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "In Memoriam: Blues Pioneer Otis Rush". DownBeat. October 1, 2018.
  4. ^ "Otis Rush obituary". The Guardian. October 3, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Milward, John (Aug 25, 1994). "Recordings—Ain't Enough Comin' In by Otis Rush". Rolling Stone. No. 689. p. 89.
  6. ^ Dahl, Bill (17 Nov 1995). "Blues notes". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  7. ^ "Otis Rush". Grammy Awards. November 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Nager, Larry (May 5, 1995). "Buddy Guy dominates Handy Awards once again". The Commercial Appeal. p. A16.
  9. ^ Gallivan, Joseph (14 Apr 1994). "Otis Rush". Pop Music. The Independent.
  10. ^ a b c Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 563.
  11. ^ a b c MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 495.
  12. ^ Krewen, Nick (28 Apr 1994). "Otis Rush Ain't Enough Comin' In". Ego. The Hamilton Spectator. p. 4.
  13. ^ Obrecht, Jas (Nov 1993). "Right place, right time: Otis Rush". Guitar Player. Vol. 27, no. 11. p. 35.
  14. ^ a b "Ain't Enough Comin' In". AllMusic.
  15. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 193.
  16. ^ a b Shriver, Jerry (13 Apr 1994). "'Ain't Enough Comin' In' puts out plenty of soul". USA Today. p. 7D.
  17. ^ "Ain't Enough Comin' In". Entertainment Weekly.
  18. ^ Watrous, Peter (20 May 1994). "Sounds Around Town". The New York Times. p. C19.
  19. ^ "Ain't Enough Comin' In by Otis Rush". Stereo Review. Vol. 59, no. 5. May 1994. p. 87.