NEWSLETTER #135
Blues & Gospel
Jimmy Reed
->
Elder Roma Wilson
| JIMMY REED |
Recall SMDCD 232 |
Big Boss Man |
● CD $15.98 |
2 CDs, 36 tracks, highly recommended
Excellent, inexpensive
introduction to the classic Vee-Jay recordings of Jimmy Reed who was the
most popular down home bluesman of the mid to late 50s and early 60s. Along
with B.B. King, Reed is one of the most influential bluesmen ever, and hit
for hit, only King can beat him quantity-wise. His early sides for Vee Jay
are wonderful; full of the relaxed guitar work, harp fills, and laid-back
vocals that made him popular even among white audiences. Much credit must go
to longtime guitarist Eddie Taylor and Reed's wife, Mary "Mama" Reed. The
selection here ranges from 1955 through 1964 and includes most of of his R&B
hits like You Don't Have To Go/ Ain't That Lovin' You Baby/ You Got Me
Dizzy/ Little Rain/ Honest I Do/ I'm Gonna Get My Baby/ Hush-Hush/ Bright
Light, Big City, etc as well as choice non-hits like his first
recording, the wonderful High & Lonesome, the great instrumental
Ends And Odds which includes blues violin by Remo Biondi the fine and
frequently covered Take Out Some Insurance and more. Sound quality is
excellent and some tracks are in stereo. Includes informative notes bu Neil
Slaven but no discographical info. (FS)
JIMMY REED: Ain't No Big Deal/ Ain't That Lovin You Baby/ Aw Shucks, Hush
Your Mouth/ Baby What You Want Me To Do/ Big Boss Man/ Boogie In The Dark/
Bright Lights, Big City/ Close Together/ Come On Baby/ Devil's Shoestring,
The Pt 2/ Down In Mississippi/ Down In Virginia/ Found Love/ Going To New
York/ Help Yourself/ High And Lonesome/ Honest I Do/ Hush Hush/ I Ain't Got
You/ I'm A Love You/ I'm Going Upside Your Head/ I'm Gonna Get My Baby/ I'm
The Man Down There/ Left Handed Woman/ Let's Get Together/ Little Rain/ My
First Plea/ Odds And Ends/ Oh John/ Sun Is Shining, The/ Take Out Some
Insurance/ When Girls Do It/ You Don't Have To Go/ You Got Me Dizzy/ You
Upset My Mind/ You're Something Else
|
| PAUL RISHELL &
ANNIE RAINES |
Artemis 51570 |
Goin' Home |
● CD $18.98 |
13 tracks, 51 minutes, excellent
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines
serve up another disc of interesting songs, deft guitar work, tasteful harp,
and more. Rishell's voice works well but he's not as convincing a singer on
covers by Charley Patton (I'm Goin' Home/ Some Of These Days),
Washington Phillips (I Had A Good Mother And Father), Charley Jordan
(Hunkie Tunkie Blues), Blind Lemon Jefferson (Black Horse Blues),
or William Moore (Ragtime Millionaire), although there's little doubt
he knows guitar inside and out. Raines steps front and center on Ma Rainey's
Black Eye Blues with a heartfelt vocal, and throughout, she offers her
talents playing harp, piano, mandolin, and more. Magic Sam's Lookin' Good
romps for seven-and-a-half minutes as an all-instrumental 'live' highlight.
(CR)
|
| BOBBY RUSH |
Deep Rush 1001 |
Folk Funk |
● CD $16.98 |
11 tracks, 43 min, highly recommended
Funky blues-soul man
Rush is at his hottest here, a surprising funk/boogie set reminiscent of
John Lee Hooker (pre-Santana) & Canned Heat at their best. Even more
surprising is the guitarist here is current bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart,
best known for his country blues style. Perhaps even more surprising is the
extensive harp playing by Rush. The set has a few re-workings, including a
remake of his biggest hit, here called Chicken Heads-Refried. There's
covers of Percy Mayfield's River's Invitation, Sonny Boy II's
Ninety-Nine, a tune called Saints Gotta Move which is When The
Saints Go Marching In & You Gotta Move. Rush also puts his
personal stamp on a couple old blues standards - Voodoo Man is
Somebody Hoodooed The Hoodoo Man updated, as is Ride In My Automobile
to Too Many Drivers. VERY enjoyable! (GM)
|
| BESSIE SMITH |
Proper BOX 78 |
Chattanooga Gal |
● CD $25.98 |
Four CD retrospective of one of the greatest of all blues
singers featuring 95 classic performances.
BESSIE SMITH: 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do/ A Good Man Is Hard To Find/
After You've Gone/ Alexander's Ragtime Band/ Any Woman's Blues/ Baby Doll/
Baby Have Pity On Me/ Baby Won't You Please Come Home/ Backwater Blues/
Beale Street Mama/ Black Mountain Blues/ Bleeding Hearted Blues/ Blue Spirit
Blues/ Cake Walkin' Babies (From Home)/ Careless Love Blues/ Chicago Bound
Blues/ Cold In Hand Blues/ Devil's Gonna Git You/ Dirty No-Gooders Blues/ Do
Your Duty/ Don't Cry Baby/ Down Hearted Blues/ Dyin' By The Hour/ Dying
Gambler's Blues/ Empty Bed Blues, Pt 1/ Empty Bed Blues, Pt 2/ Foolish Man
Blues/ Gimme A Pigfoot/ Golden Rule Blues/ Gulf Coast Blues/ Hard Driving
Papa/ Hard Time Blues/ He's Gone Blues/ He's Got Me Goin'/ Honey Man Blues/
House Rent Blues/ Hustlin' Dan/ I Ain't Goin To Play Second Fiddle/ I Ain't
Got Nobody/ I Used To Be Your Sweet Mama/ I Want Every Bit Of It/ I'm Down
In The Dumps/ I'm Wild About That Thing/ I've Been Mistreated And I Don't
Like It/ I've Got What It Takes (But It Breaks My Heart To Give It Away)/ It
Makes My Love Come Down/ J.C. Holmes Blues/ Jazzbo Brown From Memphis Town/
Kitchen Man/ Lady Luck Blues/ Lock And Key/ Lonesome Desert Blues/ Lost Your
Head Blues/ Me And My Gin/ Midnight Blues/ Money Blues/ Moonshine Blues/
Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan)/ Nashville Woman's Blues/ Need A Little
Sugar In My Bowl/ Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out/ On Revival Day/
One And Two Blues/ Please Help Me Get Him Out Of My Mind/ Poor Man's Blues/
Preachin' The Blues/ Put It Right Here (Or Keep It Out There)/ Rainy Weather
Blues/ Reckless Blues/ Red Mountain Blues/ Safety Mama/ Send Me To The
'Lectric Chair/ Sinful Blues/ Sobbin' Hearted Blues/ Soft Pedal Blues/
Spider Man Blues/ Squeeze Me/ Sweet Mistreater/ Take Me For A Buggy Ride/
The Bye Bye Blues/ The Gin House Blues/ The St. Louis Blues/ The Yellow Dog
Blues/ Them 'Has Been' Blues/ There'll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town
Tonight/ Thinking Blues/ Trombone Cholly/ Weeping Willow Blues/ What's The
Matter Now?/ Whoa, Tillie, Take Your Time/ Work House Blues/ Yes Indeed He
Do!/ You Don't Understand/ You've Been A Good Ole Wagon/ Young Woman's Blues
|
|
WILLIE "BIG EYES" SMITH & THE JUKE JOINT ROCKERS |
Electro-Fi 3385 |
Bluesin' It |
● CD $15.98 |
14 tracks, 63 minutes, highly recommended
Willie "Big Eyes"
Smith has a blues pedigree most others can only imagine having drummed
behind Muddy Waters for years, as well as countless other contributions over
a career that's been rolling for five decades. He's showing no signs of
slowing down and "Bluesin' It" proves that solidly. Joined by high-caliber
sidemen like Bob Stroger, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, Jack DeKeyzer and
others, Smith lays a shuffling, driving backbeat (as usual) singing on four
cuts (River's Invitation/ Nobody Knows/ Going Away Bay/ Don't Think I'm
Crazy) while other vocals are handled by John Mays, DeKeyzer, Wayne, and
Stroger. From hearty jump (Who Let The Cat Out), to raspy boogie (No.
9 Train), and slow rolling blues (Hard Times), this is a
knock-down brawl by one of the finest drummers in the business. (CR)
|
| GREG "FINGERS"
TAYLOR |
Warehouse Creek 114 |
Hi Fi Baby |
● CD $14.98 |
11 tracks, 44 minutes, excellent
While Greg "Fingers" Taylor
may not have the finest voice among today's crop of harp-playing frontmen,
he's well-worthy at delivering thick sounding harmonica blues. With aid from
guitarists Doug Deming and Troy Gonyea, Taylor blows through an
all-too-short 44 minute set covering Frankie Lee Sims (Hey Little Girl),
Johnny Temple (Olds 98 Blues), Sam Myers (Sleeping In The Ground),
and Elmore James (Fine Little Mama) as well as nods to Jerry McCain
and Eddy Clearwater. Produced by Kim Wilson, who adds blistering harp on a
pair (Wilson also garners a tip of the hat for assembling the tight backing
unit), this is certainly well worth adding to your shelves. The crew manages
to rip it up on the 1950s rockers and take it in the alley for the grinders
in a lowdown blowdown harmonica blast. (CR)
|
| OTIS TAYLOR |
Telarc 83601 |
Double V |
● CD $17.98 |
12 tracks, 43 minutes, recommended
With an innate ability to
craft songs that touch on real life, Otis Taylor's new Telarc disc "Double
V” stands up as another superb effort in his increasing catalog. Took
Their Land/ Plastic Spoon/ Mama's Selling Heroin/ Sounds Of Attica/ He Never
Raced On Sunday, and Buy Myself Some Freedom are just a few songs
that beg to be heard, and there's plenty more like the painful 505 Train
or It's Done Happened Again. The production is stark and stripped to
bare bones while the musicianship and songwriting are both superlative
throughout. With little more than Taylor's wrenching vocals, acoustic
guitar, some bass, and cellos, this all original set is as good as it gets.
(CR)
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1003 |
The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions, Vol. 3 |
● CD $18.98 |
26 tracks, 73 mins, essential
Third volume in this great
series concentrating on the down home recordings made in the South by the Biharis
for their Modern group of labels in the early 50s. 14 of the tracks were
recorded in Sam Phillips' Sun studios including sides by Willie Nix, Howling
Wolf, Robert Bland (aka Bobby "Blue" Bland with Junior Parker on harmonica
and Matt Murphy/ guitar), Joe Hill Louis, Walter Horton, Jim Lockhart and
Alfred "Blues King" Harris. Seven tracks were recorded in Arkansas featuring
vocals by members of the King Biscuit Boys - pianist Robert "Dudlow" Taylor
and drummer James "Peck" Curtis with guitarist W.C. Clay and two harmonicas
- Sonny Boy Williamson and, probably, Frank Hawkins. The final five tracks
are by the mysterious Dixie Blues Boys who were thought to have been
recorded in the South but were actually recorded in Los Angeles in 1955 and
whose identities have finaly come to light due to recent research though
very little can be gleaned of their history. Nevertheless they did some
fine small combo down home blues with two harmonicas. Only a handful of the
tracks here were originally issued as 78s and a number are being issued here
for the first time ever. Includes extensive notes by Jim O'Neal with much
new information. (FS)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Arhoolie 515 |
Sacred Steel Instrumentals |
● CD $12.98 |
14 track collection featuring instrumental versions of
gospel songs played on the steel guitar by some of the finest exponents of
the "sacred steel" style. These are drawn from previously released Arhoolie
CDs and includes performances by Sonny Treadway, Lonnie "Big Ben" Bennett,
Rayfield "Ray Ray" Holloman, Dante Harmon, Lamar Nelson, Glenn Lee, Robert
Randolph and pthers.
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Biograph BCD 113 |
Good Morning Blues |
● CD $14.98 |
Back in stock. A collection of acoustic blues and gospel
reissued from out of print Biograph LPs. There are 6 sides from 1940 by
Leadbelly from what is thought to be a radio audition with introductions by
Woody Guthrie. Mostly familiar Leadbelly titles. There are 4 gospel tracks
from 1975 by the excellent and little known Dan Smith who sings and plays
harmonica accompanied by Bessie Jones and some folk musicians who provide
sympathetic support. Finally there are 5 tracks from 1971 by the great
Reverend Gary Davis revealing both his secular and sacred sides. Excellent
sound and informative notes condensed from the original album issues. (FS)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Buzzola 006 |
High Rollers - Vintage Gambling Songs,
1920-1952 |
● CD $15.98 |
Another fun thematic collection with great graphics. This
one is devoted to gambling and is about two thirds blues and one third
country. It includes Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice by Joe Liggins,
Poker Woman Blues by Blind Blake, The Roving Gambler by Elton
Britt. Dice's Blues by Bob Campbell, Skin Game by Peg Leg
Howell, Railroadin' & Gamblin' by Uncle Dave Macon, All My Money
Gone Blues by Roosevelt Sykes plus sides by The Dixon Brothers, Jimmie
Rodgers, Big Joe Turner, Sammy Brown, Memphis Minnie and others - 18 tracks
in all.
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Buzzola 007 |
Juice Head Baby - Vintage Songs About Bars &
Booze |
● CD $15.98 |
18 tracks recorded between 1925 and 1953 - mostly blues
along with a couple of country songs. Includes Drunk by Jimmy
Liggins, Drink Up Light Up by Nelson Alexander, Get High by La
Melle Prince, Ruckus Juice & Chitlin by The Memphis Jug Band,
Hittin' The Bottle Stomp by The Mississippi Jook Band, Drunkard's
Special by Coley Jones, Death At The Bar by Kitty Wells plus
tracks by Marvin Phillips, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Lucille Bogan, Melvin
Smith, The Little Walter Trio and others.
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Document DOCD 5675 |
Field Recordings, Volume 16 - Boll Weevil
Here |
● CD $15.98 |
24 tracks, 77 mins, highly recommended
A most welcome entry
in this series featuring performances collected by John and Alan Lomax in
Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas between 1934 and 1940. A mix of
unaccompanied and accompanied performances - the latter including a fine
version of Boll Weevil Rag by singer/ guitarist Charles Griffin.
There are several other songs about the boll weevil including Richard
Amerson, Vera Hill, the remarkable Willie George Albertine King, Irvin "Gar
Mouth" Lowry and Al (Chicken Dad) valentine. This also features the only
performance recorded by country bluesman Ernest Rogers who was recorded at
the Angola prison farm - a superb singer and guitarist - what shame they
didn't record more by him. There's also the excellent harmonica/ washboard
duo Ellis Evans & Jimmy Lewis and a fascinating group Seven Boys with Home
Made Instruments doing two fine blues with vocal, harmonica, kazoo,
washboard and percussion. Wilson Jones (aka Stavin Chain) is a vocalist and
guitarist accompanied by fiddler Octave Amos. Their instrumental work is
very ragged but includes some fine songs including the long murder ballad
Batson. Other performers include Annie Brewer, Oakdale Carriere and
Finous (Flat Foot) Rockmore. Sound quality is as good as can be expected
from the old,worn and sometimes damaged acetates and booklet includes
informative notes by Bob Groom. (FS)
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Document 9001 |
Document Shortcuts, Vol. 1 - God Don't Like
It |
● CD $10.98 |
20 track introduction to the wealth of great music available
on over 800 CDs in the amazing Document catalog. Mostly black blues and
gospel with the occasional jazz and white country title. There are some
familiar names here (Memphis Jug Band, Son House, Little Brother Montgomery,
etc) along with a whole lot of lesser known names (Jesse Thomas, Hall
Johnson Choir, Hattie Ellis & "Cowboy" Jack Ramsey, Elder Charles Beck,
JUnior Four Quartet, etc) which gives one an idea of what these artists
sound like before taking the plunge on a "complete recordings in
chronological order" release. Even if you have an extensive collection of
Document releases you will probably find a few pleasant surprises.
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Dust-To-Digital 02 |
Where Will You Be Christmas Day? |
● CD $16.98 |
24 tracks, 74 mins, highly recommended
Terrific collection
of vintage recordings of Christmas songs featuring recordings made between
1917 and 1959 and featuring a broad spectrum of music and sentiments
including blues (Lead Belly, Walter Davis, Bessie Smith, Lightnin' Hopkins,
etc.), gospel (Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers, Rev. J.M. Gates,
etc), calypso (Lord Executor, Lord Beginner), country (The Maddox Brothers &
Rose, Fiddlin' John Carson, etc), jazz (McKinney's Cotton Pickers),
American-Italian (Pasquale Feis), sacred harp (Alabama Sacred harp Singers)
and more. Excellent sound, attractive packaging and full discographical info
adds up to one of the best collections of songs about Christmas out there.
(FS)
ALABAMA SACRED HARP SINGERS: Sherburne/ BUTTERBEANS AND SUSIE: Papa Ain't No
Santa Claus (Mama Ain't No Christmas Tree)/ LEROY CARR: Christmas in Jail
(Ain't That a Pain?)/ FIDDLIN' JOHN CARSON AND HIS VIRGINIA REELERS:
Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over/ REV. EDWARD W. CLAYBORN (THE GUITAR
EVANGELIST): The Wrong Way to Celebrate Christmas/ COTTON TOP MOUNTAIN
SANCTIFIED SINGERS: Christ Was Born on Christmas Morn/ WALTER DAVIS: Santa
Claus/ NORMAN EDMONDS: Breaking Up Christmas/ PASQUALE FEIS: Tu Scende Dalle
Stelle (Pastorale di Natale)/ REV. J. M. GATES: He Was Born in a Manger/
MARY HARRIS: Happy New Year Blues/ LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS: Happy New Year/ PAWLO
HUMENIUK: Dance under the Willows (Tanec Pid Werbamy)/ LOS JIBAROS: Décimas
de Nacimiento/ KANSAS CITY KITTY: Christmas Morning Blues/ BUELL KAZEE: Lady
Gay/ LEAD BELLY: Christmas Is A-Coming/ LORD BEGINNER: Christmas Morning the
Rum Had Me Yawning/ LORD EXECUTOR: Christmas Is a Joyful Day/ MADDOX
BROTHERS AND ROSE: Jingle Bells/ MCKINNEY'S COTTON PICKERS: Gee, Ain't I
Good to You/ KELLY PACE, AARON BROWN, JOE GREEN, MATTHEW JO: Holy Babe/
BESSIE SMITH: At the Christmas Ball/ VERA HALL WARD: The Last Month of the
Year
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
El Toro 104 |
Welcome Back To Town |
● CD $15.98 |
A collection featuring live performances of blues and R&B
drawn from various sources including Hot Lips Page with Fats Waller, T-Bone
Walker, The Four Joes & A Jane, Cootie Williams Orch., Joe Turner, Helen
Humes, Jimmy Witherspoon, Dinah Washington, Floyd Dixon, Jimmy Jackson All
Stars, Rabon Tarrant with Jack McVea's Combo, Johnny Otis Orch. and others.
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Hip-O DVD 02937 |
American Folk Blues Festival, 1962-1969,
Volume 3 |
● CD $18.98 |
DVD 18 tracks, approximately 70 minutes, essential
Following up
with the first two commercially authorized Hip-O releases of The American
Folk Blues Festival in DVD format, the third volume is another essential
addition to any personal blues library. Performances include Big Mama
Thornton kicking off the proceedings with a fine version of Hound Dog
with Buddy Guy providing some riveting guitar, Roosevelt Sykes sitting alone
at the piano for a storming Gulfport Boogie, Buddy Guy's funky Out
Of Sight, and Doctor Isaiah Ross clanging his way through a motivated
Feel So Good. Big Joe Turner's Flip, Flop And Fly seems somewhat
off kilter with the band never quite catching fire, but Skip James is
stunning (All Night Long and Crow Jane), Bukka White roars (Got
Sick And Tired), and Son House is marvelous (Death Letter Blues).
Hound Dog Taylor (Wild About You) and Koko Taylor (Wang Dang
Doodle) are both joined by Little Walter on harp, who looks quite
healthy despite it being about a year before his death, while Sonny Terry
and Brownie McGhee are featured on three cuts (Stranger Blues/ Burnt
Child/ Gonna Move Across The River) before a finale with Helen Humes (The
Blues Ain't Nothing But assisted by T-Bone Walker, Memphis Slim, Sonny
and Brownie, and others. The bonus tracks are Earl's Boogie from Earl
Hooker while the pair of tracks from Muddy Waters (Long Distance Call/
Got My Mojo Working) are actually not AFBF footage. One minor quibble is
that Muddy's Long Distance Call isn't complete and it cuts in mid-song. Rob
Bowman's liner notes are detailed and informative (there's also a hint of
another upcoming volume), and the DVD also features previously unseen
photos. Superb quality! (CR)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
JSP JSPCD 7737 |
Blind Willie Johnson & The Guitar
Evangelists |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CD set with 96 tracks featuring the complete works of a
number of guitar playing gospel singers from the late 20s to the early 50s
including the greatest of them all.
REV. EDWARD W. CLAYBORN: A Letter From Father/ Bye and Bye When The Morning
Comes/ Come And Go With Me To My Father's House/ Death Is Only A Dream/
Everybody Ought To Treat Their Mother Right/ God's Riding Through The Land/
I Have A Home In The Sky/ I Heard The Angels Singing/ I Shall Not Be Moved/
If My Saviour Holds My Hand I Will Go/ In Time Of Trouble Jesus Will Never
Say Goodbye/ Jesus Is Sweeter Than Honey In The Comb/ Jesus Went On Man's
Bond/ Jesus Will Make It Alright/ Just Beyond The Jordan River/ Let Jesus
Lead You/ Let that Lie Alone/ Men Don't Forget Your Wives For Sweethearts/ O
Lord I'm In Your Care/ The Gospel Train Is Coming/ The Wrong Way To
Celebrate Christmas/ Then We'll Need That True Religion/ There'll Be Glory/
This Time Another Year You May Be Gone/ When I Lay My Burden Down/ Where
Shall I Be When The First Trumpet Sounds?/ With My Saviour I Shall Be/ You
Never Will Know Who Is Your Friend/ Your Enemy Cannot Harm You/ Your True
Friends/ DENNIS CRUMPTON & ROBERT SUMMERS: Everybody Ought To Pray Some
Time/ Go I'll Send Thee/ A.C. & BLIND MAMIE FOREHAND: Honey In The Rock/ I'm
So Glad Today/ Mothers Prayer/ Wouldn't Mind Dying If Dying Was All/ BLIND
WILLIE HARRIS: Does Jesus Care?/ Where He Leads Me I Will Follow/ BLIND
WILLIE JOHNSON: Bye And Bye I'm Goin' To See The King/ Can't Nobody Hide
From God/ Church, I'm Fully Saved Today/ Dark Was The Night - Cold Was The
Ground/ Everybody Ought To Treat A Stranger Right/ Go With Me To The Land/
God Don't Never Change/ God Moves On The Water/ I Know His Blood Can Make Me
Whole/ I'm Gonna Run To The City Of Refuge/ If I Had My Way I'd Tear This
Building Down/ If It Had Not Been For Jesus/ It's Nobody's Fault But Mine/
Jesus Is Coming Soon/ Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed/ John The Revelator/ Keep
Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning/ Let Your Light Shine On Me/ Lord, I Just
Can't Keep From Crying/ Mother's Children Have A Hard Time/ Praise God I'm
Satisfied/ Sweeter As The Years Roll By/ Take Your Burden To The Lord And
Leave It There/ Take Your Stand/ The Rain Don't Fall On Me/ The Soul Of A
Man/ Trouble Will Soon Be Over/ When The War Was On/ You'll Need Somebody On
Your Bond/ You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond/ REV. A. JOHNSON: Death
In The Morning/ Do You Call That Religion?/ God Don't Like It/ God Don't
Like It (alt.)/ I Don't Know How To Get Along Without The Lord/ I'm Gonna Do
My Best/ If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again/ Jesus Loves Us All/ Let That
Liar Pass On By/ Lord Will Make A Way/ Run Children Run/ The Lord Will Make
A Way Somehow/ LONNIE MCINTORSH: Arise And Shine/ How Much I Owe/ Sleep On
Mother Sleep On/ The Lion And The Tribes Of Judah/ BLIND BENNY PARIS: Hide
Me In The Blood Of Jesus/ I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me/ REV. UTAH SMITH:
Glory To Jesus, I'm Free/ God's Mighty Hand/ I Got Two Wings/ I Want Two
Wings/ Take A Trip/ Two Wings/ REV. I. B. WARE WITH WIFE & SON: I Wouldn't
Mind Dying (But I Gotta Go By Myself)/ You Better Quit Drinking Shine/
WILLIE MAE WILLIAMS: Don't Want To Go There/ Where The Sun Never Goes Down
|
|
EDDIE
"CLEANHEAD" VINSON |
Proper Intro 2056 |
Kidney Stew Blues - A Proper Introduction |
● CD $9.98 |
25 tracks, 75 min, highly recommended
Excellent overview of Cleanhead's early career. The alto saxist/blues shouter started with ex-Ellingtonian
Cootie William's Orch. & is heard on three tunes from this period, '44-45,
including the tune that made him nearly a household name, Cherry Red
Blues. From there it was his own orchestra, '45-52, which included such
greats as Clark Terry, Buddy Tate, Wynton Kelly, Milt Buckner & Charlie
Rouse. Includes his big hits Cleanhead Blues/ Alimony Blues/ Somebody
Done Stole My Cherry Red/ Old Maid Boogie & the title tune. With 8 page
booklet. (GM)
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|
SHARRIE
WILLIAMS & THE WISEGUYS |
Crosscut 11080 |
Hard Drivin' Woman |
● CD $15.98 |
14 tracks, 61 minutes, excellent
When people say she's a
voice to be reckoned with, they aren't lying. Sharrie Williams might be
relatively unknown, but things should begin to turn following her new
release on Crosscut. "Hard Drivin' Woman" features a small band (guitar,
piano, bass, and drums) with a huge sound thanks to great production
(although the manufactured lead guitar sound is irritating in spots). Aside
from I'd Rather Go Blind (which burns with passion), the balance of
the disc is all original material that fuses blues, gospel, soul, riveting
R&B and more with Williams belting out the vocals. She may be a little raw
in spots but it's part of what makes this so enjoyable from beginning to
end. It's not straight-up traditional blues, but if your tastes run to
modern sounding records with a deep sense of blues at the core, this is
bound to satisfy. (CR)
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|
ELDER
ROMA WILSON & HIS HARMONICA |
Arhoolie 429 |
This Train |
● CD $9.98 |
20 tracks, 73 mins, highly recommended
Not a new release but
now part of Arhoolie's budget series. What a wonderful album! Blues and
gospel fans have long speculated about the incredible 1948 Gotham release
Lily Of The Valley/ Better Get Ready by Elder Wilson & Family featuring
gospel songs accompanied only by three harmonicas. Some years ago 4 unissued
titles from the sessions turned up and then a few years ago Elder Wilson
himself was found living in Mississippi and all became clear. The three
harmonicas were Elder Wilson himself and his two sons aged 11 and 13. Not
only is Elder Wilson still alive but he is singing and playing as well as
ever at the age of 84! This wonderful album features all six cuts from 1948
along with 14 new recordings. Wilson's material is mostly traditional gospel
though some of them have been given a topical edge as witness Ain't It A
Shame. The new recordings are just Wilson and his harp and while I miss
the intertwining of the three harmonicas, his singing and playing are
stunning. The last couple of cuts feature Elder Wilson at his Church in
Abideen, Mississippi - he plays amplified harp here and the singing and
encouragement of the congregation results in some spellbinding music. (FS)
ELDER ROMA WILSON: Ain't It A Shame/ Amazing Grace/ Better Get Ready/
Climbing Jacob's Ladder/ Death Ain't Nothing But A Thief And A Robber/ Get
Away Jordan/ Give Me My Flowers While I Live/ Gonna Wait Till A Change Come/
Got Just What I Wanted/ Have You Tried Jesus/ He's Alright/ I Don't Care
What Skeptics Say/ I'm So Glad, Trouble Won't Last Always/ Lily Of The
Valley (Stand By Me)/ Motherless Children/ My Lord's Gonna Move This Wicked
Race/ The Lord Will Make A Way, Yes He Will/ This Train/ This Train Is A
Clean Train/ This Train Is A Clean Train/ Trouble Everywhere
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