One Kind Favor

One Kind Favor
Studio album by
Released August 26, 2008
Recorded 2008
Studio
Length 57:04
Label Geffen
Producer T Bone Burnett
B.B. King chronology
Live
(2008)
One Kind Favor
(2008)

One Kind Favor is B.B. King's forty-second and final studio album. Produced by T Bone Burnett, it was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records.

The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 83/100
Review scores
Source Rating
All About Jazz
AllMusic
World of Music
Paste 9.2/10
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone called it "one of the strongest studio sets of his career, standing alongside classics such as Singin' the Blues and Lucille." Both Rolling Stone and AllMusic commented on the stripped-down sound and lack of guest appearances which was departure in style from King's recent previous albums. Both credited T Bone Burnett for the shift in sound and praised him for his production. Bud Scoppa of Paste Magazine commented "Elegiac by intent, the record is awash in poignancy, radiating from the deeply felt guitar and vocal performances of the 83-year-old King and his supporting band... and from the carefully chosen material. But just as importantly, it boasts a breathtaking immediacy."

A reviewer of The New Yorker stated "All in all, it’s a bracing, gratifying reminder of why King is in the pantheon." Milo Miles of NPR commented "One Kind Favor stands alone, however, in reaffirming King's unique power as a star and venerable performer. More than any other icon, King is about the music and not himself. After all, he is large and contains multitudes of blues." Woodrow Wiklins of All About Jazz wrote "King has entertained millions with his albums, concerts and television appearances. He has won several Grammy Awards. Some are on display at his museum, which is built around an old cotton gin building where King worked as a young man. And with this release, the King of Blues has done his fans One Kind Favor."

Track listing

One Kind Favor' track listing
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" Blind Lemon Jefferson 4:48
2. "I Get So Weary" T-Bone Walker 4:14
3. "Get These Blues Off Me" Lee Vida Walker 4:28
4. "How Many More Years" Chester Burnett 3:06
5. "Waiting for Your Call" Oscar Lollie 6:00
6. "My Love Is Down" Lonnie Johnson 5:20
7. "The World Is Gone Wrong"
4:19
8. "Blues Before Sunrise" Leroy Carr 4:16
9. "Midnight Blues" John Willie "Shifty" Henry 3:44
10. "Backwater Blues" Big Bill Broonzy 7:33
11. "Sitting on Top of the World"
  • Vinson
  • Chatmon
3:36
12. "Tomorrow Night" Lonnie Johnson 5:00
Bonus tracks
No. Title Length
13. "My Baby is Now" 3:37
14. "Just to Be With You" 4:23
15. "Haunted House" 3:19

Personnel