Legendary vocalist Willie Dixon, ”the poet laureate of the blues” who played double bass, was a prodigious songwriter who wrote or co-wrote around 500 songs in his long career. “Good To The Last Drop” is probably one of his least well-known compositions, until now! Multi-award winner Emma Wilson had the strategic sense to include the track on her widely acclaimed recent album release, A Spoonful Of Willie Dixon, which is moving up the blues charts as far away as Australia.
Middlesbrough-born Emma is probably the most authentic pure blues singer in England having been UK Blues Awards ‘Blues Album Of The Year’ finalist in 2022 and 2024, the latter with Memphis Calling, an album she recorded at Sam Phillips Studio in Memphis. Emma has also spent time in Nashville co-writing with the Hall of Fame inductee Gary Burr and was inspired by her visit to Clarksdale, Mississippi where she was invited by the Pinetop Perkins Foundation to sing at the sacred Ground Zero Club.
Willie Dixon’s version of “Good To The Last Drop” appears on a soundboard recording Live At Richard’s Atlanta from April 3rd 1973 (Restauracion 2024) featuring an all-star cast of Lafayette Leake, Carey Bell, Buster Benton and Clifton James. Writing credits are given to W Dixon, B Benton and M Booker-Dixon.
Emma had included a version of Willie’s “Hoochie Coochie Mama (Man)” on Memphis Calling, so it was not surprising that out of respect she would be looking to record more of his songs, hence A Spoonful Of Willie Dixon which includes “Good To The Last Drop.”
Wilson and her band don’t significantly alter the arrangements from the well-known originals, and this is the case here, although she does make the song her own with more subtlety in her vocal expressions – especially the double-entendres: ”So good, to the last drop…making sweet love to me… to the very last drop… you see a spoon of coffee…good to the very last drop/ I’d be a fool to stop, so good ‘til the very last drop.” Emma showcases her remarkably versatile blues voice and really rocks the song out with a stellar performance from her band who maintain a dynamic, funky jazz and blues rhythm courtesy of bassist Ian Leese and Mark Barrett on drums.
Re-envisioning this track to such a high standard is an amazing achievement given the caliber of musicians on the original recording. After all, Lafayette Leake was an American blues and jazz pianist, organist, vocalist, and composer who for Chess Records during the formative years of Chicago blues and played piano on many Chuck Berry records. And yet Keyboard Player Of The Year and Hammond Europe artist Bennett Holland on keys matches Lafayette all the way. Similarly, while Buster Benton was an American blues guitarist and singer who played in Willie Dixon’s Blues All-Stars, Nik Svarc brings his supreme guitar licks and sizzling solos into the mix to superb effect.
“Good To The Last Drop” features on Emma’s latest album alongside some all time favorites.
A SPOONFUL OF WILLIE DIXON BY EMMA WILSON
- “Spoonful – (DIXON) – 4:53
- “Good To The Last Drop” – (DIXON, BUSTER BENTON/M.BOOKER) – 4:52
- “I Can’t Quit You Baby” – (DIXON) – 4:41
- “Wang Dang Doodle” – (DIXON) – 4:46
- “I Want To Be Loved” – ( DIXON) – 3:40
- “It Don’t Make Sense (You Can’t Make Peace)” – (DIXON) – 7:59
PERSONNEL:
- Lead Vocal: EMMA WILSON
- Drums: MARK BARRETT
- Hammond Organ / Piano / Backing Vocals : BENNETT HOLLAND
- Bass: IAN LEESE
- Guitar: NIK SVARC
- PRODUCED & ARRANGED BY: E.WILSON / N.SVARC / M.BARRETT / I.LEESE / B.HOLLAND
- MIXED AND RECORDED LIVE BY: TOM HENTHORN “CRYSTALSHIP” STUDIOS, SHEFFIELD. ENGLAND
- MIX ASSISTANT: BENNETT HOLLAND
- MASTERED BY: DAN WORRALL
- DISTRIBUTED BY: SELECT-O-HITS & PROPER MUSIC UK
Available on major streaming platforms. Order here.
