For Pops

Tracking the genealogy of McKinley Morganfield’s progeny is an arduous task as the charismatic bluesman—aka Muddy Waters—had a lot of illegitimate children. Two of his sons, “Mud” and “Big Bill” Morganfield, have carved out careers based on their illustrious father’s name, with Mud (real name Larry Williams, born in 1954, and the elder by two years) hewing closely to his father’s legacy by performing Waters’ songs, while Big Bill (né William) focuses mostly on his own material. For Pops is Mud’s second CD for Severn and really lives up to its billing. Backed by a solid combo that features the stunning harmonica work of Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson, it is a true treasure of which I’m sure his dad would have been proud. His singing (unlike his father, Mud doesn’t play guitar) evokes Waters on nearly every song. Some of the highlights: on “Still a Fool,” he perfectly captures the heartache of desiring a married woman he knows he can’t have; on the classic “Nineteen Years Old,” Billy Flynn’s slide guitar is stunningly effective; and on “She Moves Me,” Wilson gets inside the song just as harp icon Little Walter did on the original version. In sum this is a great collection of Waters’ material lovingly rendered.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds (with Kim Wilson) perform Saturday, Sept. 27, 9:30 p.m., at Feather Falls Casino Brewing Co.