Chuck Berry's last album for Chess, for the next four years, has him back in the U.S., and running smack into the mid-'60s blues revival, playing with the likes of
Paul Butterfield and
Mike Bloomfield (who were beginning a brief but productive association with
Muddy Waters around this time). The material varies from first-rate songs ("It Wasn't Me," "My Mustang Ford," "Ain't That Just Like a Woman") that sound utterly contemporary, to fascinating experiments ("One for My Baby") and filler like "Everyday We Rock and Roll" and "Merrily We Rock and Roll." He still rocks out, and sounds like he's having a great time playing blues with
Bloomfield and
Butterfield ("Sad Day-Long Night" etc.), sounding like an old Chicago bluesman, which, ironically, was the direction he chose to go in during his subsequent four-year stint with Mercury Records. He still does some straight rock & roll -- "It's My Own Business" is a great teen rebellion number -- and occasionally indulges his taste for music from the islands ("Run Joe"), in what was essentially an era-closing album, and his last attempt at making a contemporary album with his established sound.
Berry's next step was four years of neglect, followed by his rediscovery as an "oldies" act. ~ Bruce Eder