Ain't enough comin' in" is a stunning surprise by a veteran Chicago bluesman whose live performances have chronically overshadowed his recordings. Rush's influential Cobra releases of the 1950s were characterized by the frenzied ambience established by his vocal and guitar, a ferocious combination that provided a sonic model for the sound of 1960s blues rock, including Eric Clapton's work with John Mayall and Led Zeppelin's rendering of Rush's 1956 hit, "I Can't Quit You Baby."

Ain't Enough was produced by John Porter, who has also recorded Chicago's other great young guitarist of the late '50s, Buddy Guy. Porter's approach to both artists has been to support them with a slick band rich with keyboards and horns. The similarity ends there, for while Guy frequently exploits his stylistic ties to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rush hews a much more traditional line. And while his guitar doesn't pack the cacophonous wallop of the past, it can still leave powder burns.

Where recent albums by Guy and John Lee Hooker have featured rockstar cameos, Ain't Enough is all the more powerful for keeping the spotlight on Rush, who delivers some of the best singing of his career. The superb repertoire includes a number of unexpected turns, including convincing forays into both the soul and gospel styles of Sam Cooke ("Somebody Have Mercy," "Ain't That Good News"), a Ray Charles classic ("A Fool for You") and a revival of the R&B-tinged Rush standard popularized by the J. Geils Band ("Homework").

Rush never strays too far from the blues, however, and digs precious metal out of songs associated with B.B. King ("It's My Own Fault") and Albert King ("As the Years Go Passing By"). Rush's sole original composition is the title track, and it doesn't take a shrink to hear the tune as the singer's reflection on his own hardscrabble career. Yet his story now has a new milestone, for while Ain't Enough Comin' In would need a bit more frenzy on the frets to be the ultimate Otis Rush album, it's one of the best blues discs of the decade. (RS 689)

JOHN MILWARD