Erin Harpe Meet Me In the Middle

Erin Harpe
Meet Me In the Middle
Juicy Juju Records/VizzTone

The daughter of a gifted blues interpreter and painter, Erin Harpe, has developed into quite a blues singer and guitarist. After several successful albums with her Delta Swingers, he new album is an album of duets with her husband Jim Countryman who plays ukulele bass and adding backing vocals. She is a fine guitarist and singer. Her vocals are sweet and sassy, being more Bonnie Raitt than Joanne Kelly, but delivered with a natural, unforced quality.

A relaxed, back porch feeling characterizes these performances, whether the traditionally rooted originals like "Hard Luck Woman," or a heartfelt cover of Sippie Wallace's "Women Be Wise." She is a marvelous guitarist, and her slide playing evokes the late Alan Wilson of Canned Heat fame on an assured rendition of "Rollin' and Tumblin'." Other standout tracks include her revival of Lucille Bogan's "I Hate That Train Called the M&O," and the minstrel-rooted "Pick Poor Robin Clean."

Harpe also does justice to her rendition of Memphis Minnie's 'What's the Matter With the Mill" before closing this recording with an old-time country-styled gospel original "One Fine Day." Erin Harpe, a first-rate interpreter of traditionally rooted blues, has produced another gem of a recording.

I received my review copy from Vizztone. Here is Erin performing "Rollin' and Tumblin'."

Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers Big Road

Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers
Big Road
Juicy Juju Records/ Vizztone Records

The sophomore album by the Boston-based Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers brings together more small band adaptations of vintage blues classics along with some rock-oriented and world music tinged originals. Along with her vocals, guitar, washboard and percussion, she is joined by her husband Jim Countryman on bass, Matt 'Charles' Prozialeck on harmonicas and Matt 'Charles' Prozialeck on drum kit and percussion.

Harpe is a wonderful singer and a superb traditional blues guitarist who has shown an affinity on for delta blues and Memphis blues, although to these ears, not everything is completely successful here. The opening rendition of Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Kokomo," is a solid performance, if too arranged with a tad too much amplification for these ears. Harpe takes credit for "Lonely Leavin' Town," a strong adaptation of some delta blues lyrics followed by a choppy "Big Road Blues," well sung but this writer prefer's Canned Heat's rendition. Canned Heat used an arrangement adapted from Poor Willie Lofton's "Dark Road Blues." The rhythm section on these two tracks come across to these ears as slightly mechanical.

Better to these ears is a marvelous acoustic interpretation of Mississippi John Hurt's "Frankie," with agile, deft guitar, honey vocal and nice supporting harmonica. It is followed by a cover of Slim Harpo "Shake You Hips," that becomes an extended jam and is the longest selection here. John Hurt is also the source for "Casey Jones, another acoustic performance with drums added and once again Prozialeck stands out on harmonica and Harpe sings strongly. A solid band blues "Voodoo Blues," is nicely performed before another adaptation of traditional blues, "Stop and Listen," which is based to some extent on the Mississippi Sheiks classic, follows and is taken at a breakneck clip mixing lyrics from Cannon Jug Stompers' "Viola Lee Blues" with the Sheiks classic.

A terrific acoustic rendition of Randy Newman's "Guilty," is followed by the closing "Gimme That Somethin' Special," a funky jam that displays her impressive guitar playing in a slightly different setting along with more strong singing. "Big Road" is an intriguing mix of material and musical style. There is some very fine music mixed in with interesting, if to these ears less compelling, music. It does certainly merit attention from blues and roots music lovers.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 375). Here they perform Lonely Leavin' Town Blues."

Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers' Love Whip Blues

The Delta Swing is a fine original as Harpe calls listeners out to go swinging from Cambridge to Memphis. It is played with a relaxed groove and features strong harmonica. The rendition of Willie Brown’s Future Blues exhibits the tight ensemble playing supporting Harpe’s vocal although some might find the tempo a bit fast here. Bob Margolin’s slide guitar enhances the fine reworking of Lucille Bogan's The M&O Blues. Good Luck Baby is an original with a bit of reggae flavor.

There is jaunty adaptation of an old William Moore recording, One Way Man, followed by a similarly buoyant rendition of Pick Poor Robin Clean. That was originally waxed by Virginia songster Luke Jordan. Gross adds a mandolin solo and Countryman taking a bass break here. After the call to the dance floor of Virtual Booty Blues, the Delta Swingers perform Charles River Delta Blues, a lovely rendition of William Brown’s Mississippi Blues. This William Brown (solely recorded by Alan Lomax) is a different individual than the Willie Brown of Future Blues who is best known for an association with Son House and Robert Johnson.

Erin Harpe & Jim Countryman performing at the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation

A solid rendition of John Prine’s Angel of Montgomery closes out this most enjoyable recording. Listening to Love Whip Blues, one appreciates why this group has been developing a large following around Boston. In fact, they won the Boston Blues Society’s Blues Battle and will be competing in Memphis at the 2015 International Blues Challenge. One certainly expects more will be heard from them.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. Here are they performing a lovely rendition of Charles River Delta Blues from that same performance. After that is a duet performance of that song by Erin and Jim Countryman at an Archie Edwards Blue Heritage Foundation concert.