Pop Reviews : Taylor Is Truly Queen in Alligator Blues Fest

As Koko Taylor walked offstage at the Strand in Redondo Beach on Saturday, many in the audience were shouting “Hail to the Queen.” It was appropriate, because Taylor’s performance had showed why she deserves the title “Queen of the Blues.”

Taylor is the headliner in the traveling Alligator Records Blues Festival, a celebration of the Chicago-based record label’s 20th anniversary (which was actually last year). The revue is also showcasing some of the label’s Chicago blues guitarists--Lil’ Ed Williams, Lonnie Brooks and Elvin Bishop, who was instrumental in introducing Chicago blues to ‘60s rock fans as part of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Taylor, who was discovered by Willie Dixon, is Alligator’s most prominent artist. Sometimes she can be on cruise-control in concert, not putting enough punch into her Big Mama Thornton-style wails. But on Saturday, the heavy-set blues matriarch with a raunchy sense of humor was thoroughly on .

She was at her best on raucous, brassy songs, in which she either griped about a misbehaving mate or lamented the loss of a decent one. The lyrical themes in this genre are basic and very limited, but certain artists have the capacity to make them joyously funny or infinitely touching, through inflections, nuances and an uncanny feel for the texture of a song. Taylor is among that company.