Norman John Darwen – July 22, 2016 at 09:23AM
Tags:_AMERICANA
The very personable singer and acoustic guitarist Mick Kolassa – a.k.a. Michissippi Mick – is on the Board Of Directors of The Blues Foundation, based in Memphis, Tennessee. That means he is ideally placed to call on some of the city’s top musicians, and for this, his third album, that’s just what he did when he popped into the River City’s legendary Ardent Studios. Mind you, many of these have already appeared on this set’s predecessors: the up-and-coming Jeff Jensen produces and plays guitar, Bill Ruffino and James Cunningham are fine on bass and drums, Colin John guests on lap steel and other stringed instruments, Eric Hughes supplies some wailing harmonica and Victor Wainwright adds his distinctive piano playing to one track – and I mean no disrespect to anyone not mentioned. This is a fine blues album, from the opening ‘Baby Faced Louise’ with its slight rockabilly tinge and the relaxed title track, right through to the jaunty blues of ‘My Hurry Done Broke’ and the closing, heartfelt ‘Raul Was My Friend’.
Along the way he tackles some memorable originals and turns his hands to some rather unexpected covers – Graham Nash’s ‘Prison Song’ (rather Bobby Bland-ish), Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Lungs’ (mean and moody) and The Temptations’ ‘Can’t Get Next To You’, drawing out the blues inferences in each. That last named is kind of BB King jamming with Howling Wolf and Muddy Waters! In short, this is a fine blues album, if a little more eclectic than some. All profits go to The Hart Fund and Generation Blues projects too.
Norman Darwen
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