​Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials Return with 'SLIDEWAYS', A High-Energy Chicago Blues Tour-De-Force

​Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials Return with 'SLIDEWAYS', A High-Energy Chicago Blues Tour-De-Force

​Out February 27

​Blues Hall of Famers Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials will release SLIDEWAYS, their 10th album for Alligator Records—and perhaps the crowning achievement of their nearly 40-year career. Led by Chicago slide guitar powerhouse Lil' Ed Williams, the band continues to define modern Chicago blues with their gloriously high-energy, emotionally charged and irresistibly playful sound.

For close to four decades, Williams and The Blues Imperials—bassist (and Ed’s half-brother) James “Pookie” Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton—have delivered riotous, deeply rooted blues to audiences around the world. In the lineage of slide guitar legends like J.B. Hutto (Ed’s uncle), Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor, Lil’ Ed stands tall as one of the genre’s true torchbearers.

Produced by Williams alongside Alligator founder and president Bruce Iglauer, SLIDEWAYS is a dynamic 13-song set, with 12 tracks written or co-written by Williams. The album captures the band at the absolute height of their powers, with Williams’ fiery slide guitar and impassioned vocals front and center. Eight songs feature the deep, old-school blues keyboard stylings of Ben Levin, adding rich texture to a collection filled with plainspoken truths and vivid storytelling. From humor to heartbreak, the album introduces unforgettable characters navigating life’s joys and struggles—some sinning while grinning, others smiling while crying.

Highlights include the high-octane opener “Bad All By Myself,” the ferocious “13th Street And Trouble,” the playful “Flirt In The Car Wash Skirt,” and a soul-shattering reinvention of “Homeless Blues.” The result is a tour-de-force of old-school Chicago blues delivered with contemporary fire and urgency.

SLIDEWAYS will be available on CD, blood-red vinyl LP and across all digital service providers.
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The band will launch their 2026 SLIDEWAYS tour on release day with a hometown record release celebration at the legendary FitzGerald's Nightclub in Berwyn, Illinois.

Watch and share the striking new video for the first single, the foot-stomping original “Bad All By Myself,” available now.

Tracks:
Bad All By Myself
One Foot On The Brake, One On The Gas
The Flirt In The Car Wash Skirt
Homeless Blues
13th Street And Trouble
Make A Pocket For Your Grief
More Time     
If I Should Lose Your Love
Wayward Women
Crazy Love Affair
Cold Side Of The Bed
What Kind Of World Is This?
You Can’t Strike Gold From A Silver Mine

Website:
liledblues.com