|  By
Cornbread
Gary
Gordon – Real
Blues
{2005
| Reception Records}
One
evening Gordon sat with his acoustic guitar, he
played and sang these songs that have been buried
deep in his heart since he was a young man, the
tape was rolling and backing was later added - wallah,
Real Blues. Joining Gary is Tim Beattie on
harp, Ross Sermons on upright bass and Noah Gordon
(Gary’s son) drumming.
Gary
said some are originals, some I had written for
the great blind bluesman Jimmy Skinner, some obscure,
a few in tribute to the originators who influenced
me so deeply when
I was a kid; Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Brownie
and Sonny, Sonny Boy and John Mayall. I never
tried to copy guitar players. I just tried
to learn to play in a way that fit and not to copy
but to improvise. I hardly ever play the same thing
twice.”
Tracks:
- Wang
Dang Doodle – ain’t nothin’
like the Wolf’s with it’s polished
delta feel.
- Anytime
You Want Me – an upbeat blues ditty
with a killer harp solo.
- The
Same Thing – slow, rich, soulful
rendition on a classic song.
- County
Jail Blues – close your eyes, you
can picture listening to this song in a stale
jute joint late in the evening.
- Broken
Wing – a country-bluesy ballad.
Beattie’s harp contributions are right on,
perfectly placed and sound great.
- All
Night Long – Gary get’s a
bit funkier on this over the other tracks.
Just try and keep your feet from tapping.
- Gypsy
Woman – steady, dominant rhythm
bass throughout, my son bobbed his head to this
one.
- Walkin'
Cane – my favorite track and a
Gary Gordon original.
- Hootchie
Cootchie Man – been done a thousand
times, this version holds its own with a traditional
blues feel to it.
- Help
Me – another excellent, very enjoyable
blues song.
- Walk
On – this has a bit of an Appalachian
mountain, traditional/country very delta’ish
feel.
Gary,
a native of Sparta, Illinois, has been part of the
bluegrass famed Gordon's
for years, and this is his first (and hopefully
not last) blues CD. When in Sparta visit Gary
at his store: Alligator Music 166
W. Broadway Sparta, Il. 62286 for a fine selection
of resonator guitars for blues, slide and bottleneck.
Tell him Cornbread and STLBlues sent you.
Not
only did I enjoy working on this review and having
the chance to chat with the artist, I really liked
this CD, especially tracks: 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
This CD is among my favorite new releases I’ve
received in a while. Buy
the CD! Heck buy two, one for you and
one to give a friend.
Ciao' for now, peace.
Peter 'Cornbread' Cohen, CBP
~ Cornbread@STLBlues.net ~
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