Of all the contemporary tenor players, arguably none has a greater affinity with the blues than JD. That innate feeling for the blues has always been present in everything he plays, whatever the surroundings. For his whole album dedicated to the genre, Allen has done a lot of research, coming to the conclusion that, “structurally the 12-bar blues form and the so-called blues scale actually have very little to do with the blues”, but “the blues is the gateway to the past and future of (all) American music”. The opening ‘Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil’ is very much gospel mixed with mid-period Coltrane. This is followed by a 1930s lament by Vera Hall which features passionate bowed bass from the classically-trained Gregg August and a rolling Royston drum solo as well as deep down Allen tenor. All the other tunes are JD originals except for fellow saxophonist Bill McHenry's ‘If You're Lonesome, Then You're Not Alone’ and are performed with equal sincerity. All JD Allen records are of interest. This could be his trio's best yet – and most of the tracks, for a change, are over five minutes. A minor classic of its kind.