Paul Rishell Swear To Tell The Truth

Paul Rishell Swear To Tell The Truth
Tone Cool / Rounder

Boston area blues artist Paul Rishell works both in an acoustic as well as an electric band vein. Swear To Tell The Truth is his second Tone-Cool album, and like his earlier one features both sides of his blues persona, although the focus is mostly on his acoustic side. 

Guitarist Ronnie Earl and harmonica player Little Annie Raines help out, along with producer Richard Rosenblatt who adds harp to Bukka White’s Shake ‘Em On Down and Drinkin’ Water From a Hollow Log, where Rishell plays a Fred McDowell slide part on the Rolling and Tumbling theme. Rishell’s skill on guitar is quite notable, particularly when he handles East Coast blues as his version of Blind Boy Fuller’s Mamie is exquisite. 

If he can’t make one forget Howling Wolf with Somebody in My Home, Ronnie Earl’s striking electric guitar on Earl Hooker’s Swear To Tell the Truth is first rate. Perhaps the finest track is his rearrangement of Charlie Patton’s Some of These Days, which Rishell aptly describes as ‘wistful.’ His fingerpicking guitar is delightful, with Michigan River Blues showcasing his clean picking. 

A very well conceived and produced collection.

I likely received a review copy from Rounder Records. This review appeared in the September 1994 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 1994). Here from two decades later, Paul Rishell and Annie Raines perform "Some of These Days."

 

Hummel's Blues Harp Meltdowns Are Harp Fans Delight!

There are a number of today’s top practitioners of blues harmonica on the second volume of Blues Hap Meltdown: East Meets West Live at Moe’s Alley on Mountain Top. Recorded at the annual blues harp tour that Mark Hummel puts together, this recording features RJ Mischo, Gary Smith, Frank Goldwasser (aka Paris Slim), Mark Hummel, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, Johnny Dyer and Gary Primich.


The two discs present over two hours of music that is often exceptional. Most of the performances might be described as in the West Coast jump vein, a mix of post war Chicago blues with jump blues rhythms and guitar seasoning that is associated with such artists as Rod Piazza and the late Hollywood Fats. The backing is provided by Hummel’s band, The Blues Survivors with Paris Slim and Paul Rishell each guesting on guitar on several tracks.


There’s plenty of muscular harp from the participants. RJ Mischo starts things off with Telephone Blues before Gary Smith, veteran of the San Francisco Bay blues scene, contributes the moody You Can’t Hurt Me No More and a rocking reworking of Little Walter’s It Ain’t Right, with Frank Goldwasser adding nice guitar. Goldwasser plays harp and sings Junior Parker’s All These Blues followed by Hummel on the Moon Mullican rocker, Seven Nights to Rock and I’m Gone. Paul Rishell laying down strong Elmore James flavored slide on this latter tune. With Annie Raines on harp, Paul revives a nice swamp blues, Nothing But the Devil to close out the first disc. Annie handles a couple vocals with the lyrics of Little Dog being amusing, and has a outstanding instrumental Annie’s Rocker. Johnny Dyer handles classic blues from Muddy Waters, J.B. Lenoir and Little Walter with a bit more down home vocal style before Gary Primich closes this two-disc set with a mix of originals and Smiley Lewis songs.


Overall some consistently very good blues to be heard on this. I understand Cephas and Wiggins were among those who performed at this year’s blues harp meltdown earlier this year which hopefully will be documented by a Volume 3.


In fact Cephas and Wiggins were among those on the third volume in this series by Hummel for which I did a short review as follows:

Cephas & Wiggins also heard on Blues Harp Meltdown Vol.3 Legends (Mountain Top), the third cd documenting Mark Hummel’s annual tour of harp masters. Recorded in January 2004, Hummel brought to the tour guitarist Steve Freund, drummer-harmonica player Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith, Carey bell & Lazy Lester for a smorgasbord of blues stylings.

Hummel himself is a formidable harp player and revives a Lloyd Price Crescent City rocker Where Y’at along with Little Walter’s Roller Coaster followed by Freund who sings two numbers followed by Smith ably handling Hoodoo Man Blues. Cephas & Wiggins come off typically fine on five numbers including an instrumental, Fats Domino’s Going to the River and Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues.

The second disc has some strong performances by Bell including It Ain’t Right and I’m Ready while Lazy Lester handles his own Blues Stop Knocking, Slim Harpo’s Raining in My Heart and his Sugar Coated Love. Freund plays on Bell’s selections and Hummel’s band able supports all the performances except those by Cephas & Wiggins. Blues harp fans will find plenty of music to entertain them here.

Both of the above reviews appeared in the DC Blues Calendar, newsletter of the Dc Blues Society that I edited. The review of Blues Harp Meltdown Volume 2 appeared in the April 2004 issue while the review of Blues Harp Meltdown Volume 3 appeared in July-August 2006. The review of Volume 3 appeared in the July-August 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 284). I believe that this was a purchase.

Rishell & Raines Have Bluesy Night in Woodstock

I wrote the following review for Jazz & Blues Report (December 2008 issue 311) and can be downloaded at www.jazz-blues.com.

It has been several years since the popular duo of Paul Rishell & Annie Raines have had a new release and their “A Night in Woodstock” is live recording on their Mojo Rodeo imprint. It features the pair as a duo and with their band that includes Reed Butler, Billy MacGillivray and Chris Rival along with guest spots by John Sebastian and Bruce Katz.

Recorded at the Joyous Lake in 2005, it opens with Rishell doing marvelous interpretations of Blind Boy Fuller’s “Custard Pie,” and with Tommy Johnson’s “Canned Heat Blues.” With Rishell steady, assured accompaniment and Raines supportive harmonica backing, these two performances illustrate how Rishell as grown in handling such vintage material. Johnny Winter’s “Dallas,” is a marvelous display of Rishell’s wonderful slide playing and an excellent evocation of the Robert Johnson-Muddy Waters tradition (with elements of “Terraplane Blues in its melody). “Got to Fly” is the pair’s original and provides Raines with the vocal spotlight on this highly likable performance. A medley of Jack Clement’s “It Will be Me” and Rishell’s “I Will Be Looking for You,” enchants with Rishell’s wistful vocal. It is followed by a country blues adaptation of Louis Armstrong’s “Old Man Mose,” into a delightful folk blues. “Blues on a Holiday,” has Bruce Katz join in on piano as opposed to the sparse band backing with Rishell’s pensive vocal again moving the soul of the listeners.

The band kicks into a more forceful groove on “Can’t Use It No More,” a modern hokum blues, with the duo harmonicas of Raines and Sebastian, both of whom solo here being to the forefront followed by Katz’s barrelhouse piano. Raines handles the vocal on Lazy Lester’s “I’m a Lover Not a Fighter,” with a nice amplified harp solo, whereas “Moving to the Country,” has a forceful Rishell vocal as he tells us he is returning to things he never should have left behind. Jerry McCain's songs often have a wry spirit to them and Rishell delivers the lyrics on “Bad Credit,” with Raines wailing on harp, embellishing Rishell’s vocal. Rishell starts “Blue Shadows,” sounding like B.B. King on guitar, before launching into the vocal on a fresh, driving arrangement of Lloyd Glenn’s song. the album closes with a harp instrumental by Raines and Sebastian, “Orange Dude Blues.”

“A Night in Woodstock” is a throughly engaging live recording with many excellent moments that certainly merits serious attention.

For FTC regulations I have no idea whether I got this from a public relations firm or the recording label.