"Call It Stormy Monday" tracks a week that keeps finding new ways to disappoint. T-Bone Walker wrote it in 1947, a catalogue of bad days that stretch from Tuesday through Thursday without relief. By Sunday, he is too tired to even go to church. Some weeks are not about lessons or growth. They are about getting to the other side with whatever dignity you still have. The blues is the sound of that dignity surviving the week.

B.B. King recorded his version with the guitar answering every line the voice sings. Walker told the story. King let Lucille finish the sentences. The words are the same but the conversation changes when the guitar talks back. A man telling you about his bad week is one thing. A man whose guitar confirms every complaint is another level of testimony.