I Feel so Good (I Wanna Boogie)

I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie) by Magic Sam is one of those songs that doesn’t sound like 60s blues, but rather like something that could be playing today in any bar in Chicago. The track moves forward with a rhythm that grabs you from the first measure: a guitar that never lets go of the note, a bass that sets the path, and drums that push relentlessly. What’s curious is that there’s not a single moment of calm; everything is in constant motion, as if the song couldn’t stop even if it wanted to.The song was recorded in 1968 for West Side Soul, the album Magic Sam released with Delmark Records. It wasn’t a months-long project in an expensive studio: they did it quickly, with simple equipment, yet the result sounds alive, as if every instrument were breathing at the same time.

Producer Robert G. Koester let Magic Sam’s electric blues flow without filters, and that’s evident in every note. The track lasts nearly five minutes, but there’s no room for boredom: the guitar solo, the tempo shifts, and that raspy voice that doesn’t ask permission to sound good make it addictive.