The future of Baton Rouge blues lies squarely in multi-instrumentalist Kenny Neal's capable hands. Along with a select few others (Larry Garner, for one), the second-generation southern Louisiana bluesman is entirely cognizant of the region's venerable blues tradition and imaginative enough to steer it in fresh directions -- as his albums for Alligator, Telarc, and Blind Pig Records confirm.

Kenny Neal was born on October 14, 1957 in New Orleans, exposed to the blues sound from day one. His dad, harpist Raful Neal, was a Baton Rouge blues mainstay, whose pals included Buddy Guy and Slim Harpo (the latter handed three-year-old Kenny an old harp one day as a toy, and that was it). At age 13, Neal was playing in his father's band, and he picked up a bass at 17 for Buddy Guy.

The guitarist recruited some of his talented siblings to form the Neal Brothers Blues Band up in Toronto (brother Noel later played bass behind James Cotton; five other Neal brothers also play in various bands) before returning stateside. In 1987, Kenny Neal cut his debut LP for Florida producer Bob Greelee -- a stunningly updated swamp feast initially marketed on Kingsnake Records as "Bio on the Bayou". Alligator picked it up the following year, retitled it Big News From Baton Rouge, and young Neal was on his way.

Neal's sizzling guitar work, sturdy harp, and gravelly, aged-beyond-his-years vocals have served him well ever since. An acclaimed 1991 stint on Broadway in a production of Mule Bone found him performing acoustic versions of Langston Hughes' poetry set to music by Taj Mahal. His 1994 Alligator set Hoodoo Moon rates as one of his most satisfying outings for that label; it was also his last for Alligator.

Toward the end of the '90s, Neal moved to the blues division of the jazz-based Telarc Records. Among his numerous albums for the label are Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain (1998), Rock What You Got (2000), One Step Closer (2001), Easy Meeting (2003), DoubleTake: Tree63 (2004), and A Tribute to Slim Harpo and Raful Neal (2005). Three years later, Neal hooked up with Blind Pig Records and released Let Life Flow in 2008, once again incorporating his gritty Louisiana roots with a sophisticated Chicago/Memphis soul approach. A second BLIND PIG release, Hooked On Your Love, appeared two years later in 2010. ~ Bill Dahl & Al Campbell, Rovi