Blues
This review is from: Hey Ba-Ba-Re-Bop (Audio CD)
There are so many excellent bluesman that do not get the recognition they deserve. Johnny Shines is certainly one of them. This album showcases Johnny's amazing talents -- the stomping bass runs, the spidery treble counterpoints, the keening slide guitar... Johnny was both subtle and explosive: listen to the seemingly simple accompaniment on "Mean Mistreater" and then the mind-boggling playing on "Milk Cow" or "Going to the River." And I have said nothing his singing talents. He raises his voice to a full-throated wail and drops to a ear-carressing whisper in the same tune -- and his playing on the guitar perfectly accompanies these with appropriate changes in pitch (listen to "I will Be Kind" for some truly astounding changes in volume).
This is possibly my favorite Shines album, featuring his own compositions like "Delta Pines" and "I had a Good Home," blues standards like "Mean Mistreater" (a Leroy Carr tune) and compositions by his old running-mate Robert Johnson, like his version of "Terraplane." This last is as good, if not better, than the original recording by Johnson himself.
This is amazing music.
By Ian Herrick.
**
Delta blues vocalist, guitarist and composer Johnny Shines hadn't yet encountered the physical difficulties that made his final years so troubling when he recorded the 13 selections on this CD. He could still sing and moan with intensity and passion, hold a crowd hypnotized with his remembrances and asides, and play with a mix of fury and charm. While the menu includes oft-performed chestnuts "Sweet Home Chicago," "Terraplane Blues" and "Milk Cow Blues," there wasn't anything staid or predictable about the way Shines ripped through the lyrics and presented the music. If you missed it the first time around, grab this one immediately.
By Ron Wynn, All Music Guide.
**
01. Sweet Home Chicago 2:47
02. Delta Pines 2:56
03. Kind Hearted Woman 2:41
04. I Will Be Kind 5:23
05. When Your Troubles Get Like Mine 4:40
06. Milk Cow Blues 2:58
07. Hey, Ba-Ba-Re-Bop 1:51
08. Saddle My Pony 4:29
09. I Had a Good Home 3:29
10. Terraplane Blues 3:02
11. Mean Mistreater 3:37
12. Going to the River 3:56
13. Do Like the Lord Say Do 2:33
**
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