Cephas and Wiggins Cool Down

Cephas and Wiggins
Cool Down
Alligator

John Cephas and Phil Wiggins are perhaps the premier acoustic duo in the blues today, and they certainly do nothng to tarnish that reputation with their first Alligator album, "Cool Down." Given the substantial body of recordings they have previously made, the present album provides variety in the musical settings. 

In addition to straight duets, Phil's brother Skip adds bass and vocals on places, Kentucky Travis-style guitarist Eddie Pennington adds his touch to several songs, a small combo with clarinet and piano by Daryl Davis enliven a couple of tracks, and on a version of Skip James' "Special Rider," Djimo Kouyate plays the kora, an African stringed instrument. There are also personal renditions of songs from Blind Boy Fuller ("Screaming and Crying"), Bessie Smith ("Backwater Blues"), Fats Domino ("Going to the River"), and Reverend Gary Davis ("Twelve Gates to the City"). 

While generally thought of as a light, bouncy, ragtime flavored music, the Pledmont-inspired blues Cephas and Wiggins play on this disc has a sober, restrained character, which this writer detected on even the uptempo numbers such as the opening "Action Man," and "The Blues Will Do Your Heart Good." A somberness pervades much of this,and those looking for some Blind Blake style ragtime fingerpicking or the like will not find it here. What one will find here are very thoughtful, measured blues that repay careful listening.

This review appeared in the March 1996 Jazz & Blues Report. I likely received a review copy from Alligator Records. Here is  a live performance from the 2003 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.