King of the Blues: 1989

Al Kooper was among the album's four producers. Many of the tracks used drum machines; King was an adopter of home computers and curious about modern studio technology. Steve Cropper played rhythm guitar. ==Critical reception==

The Orlando Sentinel called the album a "bid for pop- crossover attention." The Calgary Herald wrote that "the songs are so mediocre as to actually give you the blues, and producer Al Kooper has drowned King's occasional stellar guitar work in a sea of keyboards and soulless drum programming." The Kingston Whig-Standard determined that the album "is very contemporary and could easily give Robert Cray a run for his money in the blues-pop-soul category." The Toronto Star labeled it "a bold, big electric blues album from the unassailable master of the field." The Vancouver Sun noted that King of the Blues: 1989 was "more structured and tight than previous albums." AllMusic concluded: "Over-glossed R&B tracks, heavy doses of keyboards and drum programming are an ideal way to make albums for the pop charts, but for B.B. King, they are tools of disaster." King's biographer, Daniel de Vise, deemed the album perhaps "the low ebb of his recording career." ==Track listing==

• B.B. King – vocals, lead guitar • Tracks produced by Jerry Lynn Williams: • Jerry Lynn Williams – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, drum programming (Tracks 1, 3-5, 8) • Stevie Nicks – backing vocals (3) • Mick Fleetwood – drums (3, 4, 8) • Steve Cropper – rhythm guitar (4, 8) • Marty Grebb – saxophone (3) • Tom Scott – saxophone (4) • Loralei Wehba – backing vocals (4, 5) • Bonnie Raitt – backing vocals (5) • Chris Mancini – backing vocals (8) • Tracks produced by Al Kooper: • Al Kooper – all instruments except left side lead guitar (2, 6) • The Jim Gilstrap Singers – backing vocals (2, 6) • Tracks produced by Trade Martin: • Trade Martin – all rhythm instruments, backing vocals, mixing (7, 10) • Rodney Kelly – computer programming (7, 10) • Alfa Anderson, Liliana Pumpido, Joe Amato, Luci Martin, Alfredo Rios – backing vocals (7, 10) • Randal Brecker, Alan Rubin, James Pugli, Ronnie Cuber, Robert Magnuson, Lou Marini – horns (7, 10) • Joseph Malignaggi, Ethel Abelson, Ann Barsk, Maura Giannini, Anthony Posk, Carmel Malignaggi – violins (7, 10) • Tracks produced by Frederick Knight: • Catherine Henderson, Jewell Bass, Tomasine Anderson – backing vocals (11) • Ray Griffin – bass (11) • James Robinson – drums (11) • Michael Toles & Michael Spriggs (11) • The Muscle Shoals Horns – horns (11) • Carson Whitsett, Clayton Ivey & Earnest Williamson – keyboards (11) Technical • Courtney Branch & Tracy Kendrick – remixing & additional production (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9) • Chris Green – engineering (1, 3-5, 8) • Charlie Brocco, Tom Beiner – assistant engineers (1, 3-5, 8) • Jimmy Hotz – guitar programming (1, 3-5, 8) • Richard "Fast Fingers" McIntosh, Rick Delana – engineering (2, 6) • Chris Steinmetz – assitant engineer (2, 6) • Doug Conroy – rhythm tracks & mixes (4, 8) • Roger Rhoads – horns, vocals & strings (4, 8) • Robert Jackson, John Fleskes, Roosevelt Green, Pete Green – engineering (9, 11) • Steve Hall – mastering • Sheila Wolk – artwork ==References==