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January-February 2005 Newsletter
CD Reviews
Charlie
Musselwhite 14tracks/62:09
The Musselwhite disc is latest in a series that attempts to sum up the career of the respective artist from their Alligator recordings. Charlie had three significant releases for the label in the early to mid-90’s after rebounding from alcohol issues. You get three remastered tracks from each one plus two previously unreleased titles. “Lotsa Poppa” is from sessions from the In My Time disc with Musselwhite working out on a chromatic harp. The second is a teenage Charlie with one of his mentors, Will Shade. Musselwhite plays guitar as Shade alternately encourages and scolds him. Then Will sings “Newport News Blues” as Charlie finds the groove. Shade was a guitar player as a member of the Memphis Jug Band and, according to Musselwhite, one of the first players to treat the blues harp as a legitimate instrument. Deluxe edition includes two more recent examples of Charlie’s guitar playing - one on acoustic and the other on slide as he gets some vocal assistance from the Blind Boys of Alabama on “Bedside of a Neighbor”. But Musselwhite made his name for his outstanding blues harp playing. The remaining 11 tracks provide plenty of evidence as to why he is held in such high regard and demonstrate the breadth of his artistry. If you haven’t checked out Charlie, here is your chance to add him to your College of Musical Knowledge !!!
Many thanks to
owner Bruce Iglauer and the staff at Alligator for the review copies- we
appreciate it!!! I know what I’ll be spending my Christmas money on.
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