I got this cd as a gift from my fiancée and I loved it. B.B. King, however aged , seems in shape and at ease in this album of duets. It is , however , strange to hear the opening track of the album, "If You Love Me", not being sung by B.B.King. The song was written by Van Morrison and he sings it, while the old bluesman merely plays guitar, adding no vocals. But it is a beautiful song anyway. The best track are "Rock Me Baby", in which Eric Clapton shares vocals and B.B. share vocals and guitar, "Baby I Love You", in which Bonnie Raitt's slide guitar does a great counterpart with Lucille, "Payin The Cost To Be The Boss", which reminds us that The Rollings Stones DID start off as a blues band, and "Hummingbird", where Dionne Warwick sounds perfectly at home belting out a blues tune. There are other good tracks too, but there were ones that I did not like, such as "The Thrill is Gone", with Tracy Chapman. It is not Tracy's fault. The song is just tired from being included in virtually all of BB King's anthologies and live albums. Another weak track was "Keep It Coming", in which Heavy D and King attempt a bluesy rap but it never catches fire. A track that is not great but not weak either is his duet with Joe Cocker in "Dangerous Mood". Joe is one of the best rock performers alive today, and his participation is worth notice. Well, to sum it up, it is a great album with a few weak tracks. If I were you, I'd purchase the import version which has a few more tracks, including "Let The Good Times Roll", with Zucchero.

This cd again proves that it is great fun to play with B.B. King. The man loves his music and brings out the best in people he performs with. On this cd they are all superb musicians on their own . There are some wonderful duos here. The first cut with Van Morrison If You Love Me is the kind of soulful and moving vocal that Morrison can do so well. Hearing Tracy Chapman do The Thrill is Gone is worth the price of the cd. I could listen to it over and over. There isn't a song on here that's a throwaway. I even enjoy Keep It Coming with Heavy D and Rap is definitely not my thing.

This cd would be a good introduction to the blues. We can see how many of these popular musicians have been influenced and moved by the blues.

Unlike 'Lucille and Friends', 'Deuces Wild' is a collection of more recently-recorded B.B King duets and collaborations. Once again, there is a mixture of standard blues and roots covers and original songs. If anything, the range of artists and styles present here is even greater than on 'Lucille and Friends', making it a more interesting but perhaps less consistent album.

The best tracks here include takes on 'The Thrill Is Gone' (Tracy Chapman) and 'Rock Me Baby' (Eric Clapton), two songs which were hits for King himself in the distant past. 'Baby I Love You' (Bonnie Raitt), 'Confessing the Blues' (Marty Stuart) and 'Dangerous Mood' (Joe Cocker) are other strong songs. A great rendition of 'Paying The Cost To Be The Boss' with Mick Jagger on vocals is a highlight, 'Night Life' with Willie Nelson provides a surprisingly poignant closer, and 'Keep It Coming' with rapper Heavy D is not quite as embarassing as it might have been. Interestingly, a couple of songs from 'Lucille and Friends' are present in new arrangements, but unfortunately neither 'Hummingbird' (Dionne Warwick) nor 'Let The Good Times Roll' (Zucchero) match the standard of the original versions.

A solid collection that is not quite as strong as 'Lucille And Friends'. The diversity of the collaborators means they don't always gel with B.B., although once again King proves his ability to adapt his singing and playing to many different styles. It's maybe a bit too calculated and over-thought, and lacks some of the spontaneity of the older tracks on 'Lucille...'. It's still a good enough effort, though, and will be of interest to B.B fans old and new.

First let me point out to my loyal "The King Of The World Blues Reviewer" fans: Obviously BB is an all-time icon, but he is not in my personal top 6 electric blues guitarists, nothing negative in that statement, he's just a little too sedate for me overall. Now, moving on to the review. Talk about the word "fun"! If you could use that anywhere, it is here! BB performs "duets" with everyone from Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, The Stones, Joe Cocker, Willie Nelson, and a few others. BUT! THE MOST FUN ONE OF ALL, THAT ME AND MY SON SHAQ JR. LOVED, WAS WITH THE RAPPER "HEAVY D"! They perform a rap/rock duet, where "Heavy D", talks about making a "move" on BB's sweetheart "Lucille"! I'm sure anyone reading this review knows who that fine lady is! This CD is a definite "buy" and can be enjoyed by all ages, and musical tastes!

I like this CD! B. B. King is accessible to everybody, even if you don't have a clue as to what the Blues, and this CD is proof! I like hearing B. B. playing some of his greatest hits, as well as some new (for him) material in duets with some of today's finest pop performers; Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Eric Clapton, Mick Hucknall, Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Joe Cocker, Marty Stuart, the Rolling Stones, and Willie Nelson (to name a few).

For a look at B. B. doing what he does best (playing and singing the Blues), check out the 1998's Greatest Hits compilation and Blues On The Bayou.