Between Midnight and Louise
Endless Blues Records
Mississippi blues guitarist and vocalist Chris Gill got into the Delta and Bentonia style Blues from sitting on Jack Owens' porch listening and learning from Jack Owens and Bud Spires. The Bentonia influence continues today as he still hangs out and jams with Jimmy "Duck" Holmes at the Blue Front Cafe. He writes original songs in what he characterizes as a mix of Juke Joint Boogie and Piedmont style fingerpicking. His cites as influences Taj Mahal, Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, Elizabeth Cotten, and Lightnin' Hopkins. Gill plays both fingerstyle and slide guitar and has been a finalist in the International Blues Challenge.
Gill's skill as a fingerstyle guitarist is evident on the instrumental "Thank You For Another Day" with deft picking that sounds like a pleasant fusion of Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Blake. It is followed by "Song For Honeyboy," which has him playing in a classic Delta blues vein and showcasing his accomplished slide guitar (with echoes of Muddy Waters). The song was inspired by reading Honeyboy Edwards' autobiography. An alluring love song, "You Never Know (That's What Love Will Do)," features amiable fingerstyle guitar with echoes of John Hurt and Taj Mahal to go with an appealing vocal.
Played on a Baritone Mule guitar, "Rolling Man" features a percussive accompaniment to a song about a hobo's travels. Next up is another evocation of classic delta blues, "Fleas and Ticks." Tracks like this and "Song For Honeyboy" show how ably Gill performs in the Delta style. "Souvenir of the Blues" was inspired by a homeless man on Beale Street and is a moody tune with some thoughtfully played slide guitar. "Long Distance Highways" is more of a folk-country number with reflections of playing on the road and home with nimble picking. A dear friend of Gill, Vincent Brawley, wrote, "I Fell in Love With Blues." Brawley passed away a few years back, but Gill does a marvelous salute to his friend about a song listening to WDIA and Mexican radio stations.
The title track is another crisply played instrumental with a dreamy feel. It is the closing track on an album of performances in the blues tradition but with Gill's own memorable slant on acoustic blues.
I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a performance of "Souvenir of the Blues."
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