Muddy Gurdy Feat Cedric Burnside, Cameron Kimbrough, Pat Thomas, Sharde Thomas

Muddy Gurdy
Feat Cedric Burnside, Cameron Kimbrough, Pat Thomas, Sharde Thomas
VizzTone

This intriguing recording brings together a French trio (Hypnotic Wheels) with several of the most prominent living players of Mississippi North Hill Country Blues. Hypnotic Wheels is comprised of Tia Gouttebel on vocals and guitar; Gilles Chabenat on the hurdy gurdy, a French traditional instrument and Marco Glomeau on percussion and is inspired by French traditional music as well as the North Mississippi North Hill Country Blues with the hurdy gurdy serving as a second guitar. Their first album alternated original songs with revisited blues. Marco, the percussionist, got this crazy idea: take the hurdy-gurdy to Mississippi and this recording is the result.

After a brief instrumental, we hear four field recordings with Cedric Burnside (and one can hear dogs barking in the background) as they launch into a mesmerizing treatment of RL Burnside's "Goin' Down South," with Cedric and Tia alternating vocals with some spellbinding single note guitar runs against a drone musical background. After the performance ends Cedric talks about times with his brother Cody who died at 29 before going into "The Girl is Bad," with its somewhat jerky groove and slashing slide guitar. This is followed by a high stepping "See My Jumper Hanging On the Line," with the French trio adding their congenial, if unusual sound to this spirited performance of another RL Burnside song. Cedric further shows how well he continues in the manner of his father on "Rollin' and Tumblin'."

Shardé Thomas adds vocals and fife to a vibrant rendition of "Station Blues" (a retitled "Sitting on Top of the World," with Glomeau providing the fife and drum band groove with Tia and Gilles adding their buzzing backing. It is followed by a haunting "Shawty Blues,"and the spiritual "Glory, Glory Hallelujah." Cameron Kimbrough then leads us on a lively rendition of "Leave Her Alone," from his father Junior Kimbrough," set against the mesmerizing backing, while his own "Gonna Love You," is a tough performance in a similar vein.

Pat Thomas' "Dream" has a wistful quality while the hurdy gurdy of Chabenat provides a somber fiddle-like backing. It is followed by the trio's own interpretations including a rendition of Jesse Mae Hemphill's "She Wolf," recorded at Dockery Farms, along renditions of Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Shake 'Em On Down," and B.B. King's recording, "Help The Poor." One wonders Jesse Mae Hemphill might have thought of her music influencing this French singer and guitarist, who does a more than simply capable job in singing and performing these. Pat Thomas, sounding like his father, James 'Son' Thomas, closes this album at the Highway 61 Museum (with traffic in the background) with a simple, stark and moving "Standing at the Crossroads/Dust My Broom" mashup, titled here "Highway 61."

While this won't replace the classic recordings of Fred McDowell, RL Burnside, Jesse Mae Hemphill and Junior Kimbrough, the Hypnotic Wheels has produced a fascinating, enjoyable and idiomatic recording that pays homage to their musical influences. It presents the current practitioners of this tradition with emphatic backing that is so much more appropriate to the music than most efforts to modernize (or commercialize) this tradition. This is a recording that brings pleasure everytime I listen to it.

I received from VizzTone. Here is a short clip relating to this recording.

Lightnin' Malcolm Hills Country Blues Roots

This writer was not enthusiastic with the collaboration of Lightnin’ Malcolm and Cedric Burnside on the 2Man Wrecking Crew CD. It struck me as perhaps taking the North Mississippi Hills groove associated with Fred McDowell and R.L. Burnside in a very limited manner. Malcolm, a Missouri native, who immersed himself in the music of this style is back with a release Renegade on Ruf Records where Cameron Kimbrough, the grandson of Junior Kimbrough, is on drums and several selections have a horn section added.

While its been awhile since I listened to the earlier disc, the performances here strike me as a bit more focused in performance. Kimbrough does a fine job in complementing Malcolm’s vocals and guitar which more than on one occasion evoke Mississippi Fred McDowell. The Hill Country blues style that is the foundation makes use of repetitive, hypnotic grooves that can bore but Malcolm avoids here with his guitar that displays an economy of expression (and aided by Kimborugh’s often lighter percussive touch) as well as his haunting vocals. This is clear on the opening Ain’t Even Worried, as well as the following Stop Fightin’ Over Me with a chugging groove in the vein of some of R.L.Burnside’s numbers with judicious use of tremolo in his fuzzy tone. The rocking groove of So Many Women recalls several of Fred McDowell’s songs such as Write Me a Few Lines, in a most compelling fashion.

The title track is more in the vein of roots rock with some heavily distorted guitar, while the horns embellish Guilty Man providing a different flavor and adding to the variety here. Last Nite I Held An Angel is taken at a dirge-like tempo as his angel has to fly, followed by Precious Jewel with its rock steady reggae groove and horns along with Nadirah Shakoor joining on the vocal. Perhaps because of what might be described as some awkwardness in the lyrics, this is a very appealing track. Come Go With Me is a lesser performance although with a sample dance groove. North Mississippi is a celebration of his home area with brassy punch added by the horns before J Grubbz adds a rap. Foxfire Ranch is a chugging instrumental that builds on a simple musical riff.

There may some songs on this that may strike some as less than inspired, but Lightnin’ Malcolm certainly performs with plenty of heart and conviction here. Overall Lightnin’ Malcolm may be a Renegade but he has produced a solid album rooted in the Hills Country Blues.


The review copy was received from a publicist for the record label.