Byther SMITH - Mississippi Kid 1996

Byther SMITH - Mississippi Kid 1996

Blues

True blues from guitarist who once played with Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Howlin' Wolf & many other blues greats.
**
The 1996 release Mississippi Kid sounds like it could have been released a quarter-century or more before, which is a compliment. Bracingly free of the rockist clichés that bog down so many latter-day blues albums, Mississippi Kid is solid Chicago-style blues, with Smith's guitar and vocals supported by two organists and a full horn section. Presented as a sort of musical autobiography, with the personal title track ending the album as a kind of summation, the album dusts off a couple of Smith's earlier hits, most notably a slow, gripping version of his signature song, "Give Me My White Robe," and the playful shaggy-dog story "Blues on the Moon," given a suitably light-hearted and sly treatment. Smith is in excellent voice throughout and his playing is as fine as always, making Mississippi Kid a late highlight in his long and sometimes underappreciated career.
By Stewart Mason. AMG.
**
Nobody does low-down, deep blues like Byther Smith. At times his guitar playing invites B.B. King comparisons, but Byther is lonelier, edgier, tougher and more personal. Byther's blues cut. "President's Daughter," "Blues on the Moon," "Give Me My White Robe," (harrowing, that; who else packs such a wallop singing about getting ready to die?), "Runnin' to New Orleans" and "Monticello Lonely" are standouts. Two or three cuts are weak, but that's a minor quibble on a very fine Chicago/Mississippi/Delta electric blues record.
By Tim Weber.
**
Personnel: Byther Smith (vocals, guitar); Jeff "Junkyard" Jozwiak (guitar); Sonny Seals (tenor saxophone); Malachi Thompson (trumpet); Steve Berry (trombone); Bob "The Hoosier Hawk" Hecht (piano, organ); Jessie Lockridge (organ); James Knowles (drums).
**
01. Judge Of Honor 4:39
02. Don't Hurt Me No More 6:30
03. President's Daughter 3:18
04. Living In Pain 5:44
05. Ashamed Of Myself 5:30
06. I Don't Know Where You Go 5:41
07. Blues On The Moon 4:49
08. Your Daughter Don't Want Me No More 4:06
09. Give Me My White Robe 5:48
10. Runnin' To New Orleans 3:26
11. Cora, You Made A Man Out Of Me 4:33
12. Monticello Lonely 5:09
13. Mississippi Kid 4:50
**

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Byther SMITH - Got No Place To Go 2008

Byther SMITH - Got No Place To Go 2008

Blues

"Smith sings with conviction throughout, in a gruff baritone, the cracks in his voice only serving to heighten the passion of his delivery."
From Living Blues.
**
Byther Smith- (Vocals, Guitar);
Roger Perry- (Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards);
Frank "Paris Slim" Goldwasser- (Guitar, Harmonica);
Danny Camarena- (Bass);
Chris Millar- (Drums).
**
1.I'm A Honey Bee
2.I Had My Fun Aka Goin' Down Slow
3.Monticello Lonely
4.I Know That's Grace!
5.Got No Place To Go
6.Byther Boogie
7.How Much More?
8.35 Long Years
9.Every Woman I Meet
10.Come On In This House
11.Red!! You Let The Dogs Out
**
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Byther SMITH - I´m A Madman 1992

Byther SMITH - I´m A Madman 1992

Blues

Smitty is unequivocally not mellowing with age. This set finds him physically threatening some poor slob in "Get Outta My Way" and generally living up to the boast of the title track. As his profile finally rises, Smith is receiving a little high-profile assistance -- Ron Levy produced the set and handles keyboards, while the Memphis Horns add their punchy interjections wherever appropriate.
By Bill Dahl. AMG.
**
Ex-boxer Byther Smith says, "The blues is just like fighting. You gots to have that killin' instinct." Which he does. He's J.B. Lenoir's first cousin, he's been in Chicago for years, and there aren't too many contemporary bluesmen who would want to get in the ring with Byther. He's got a lot of shifty moves--who else have you heard that can imitate Elmore James's sound, but without using a slide, the way Byther does here on "Get Outta My Way?" Smith came to Memphis in July of '92 to record his second Bulllseye Blues album with a hot, tight band and the Memphis Horns
**
Byther Smith- (Vocals, Guitar);
Jim Spake- (Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax);
Andrew Love- (Tenor Saxophone);
Wayne Jackson- (Trumpet, Trombone);
Ron Levy- (Piano, Organ);
Mike Boyle- (electric Bass);
Lloyd Anderson- (Drums).
**
01. I Got So Much Love
02. Comin' Home
03. I'm in a Hole
04. Mad Man
05. Get Outta My Way
06. Play the Blues in Paris
07. You Don't Know Me, Mary
08. Your Mama's Crazy
09. Funky Man
10. 35 Long Years
**
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Byther SMITH - Housefire 1991

Byther SMITH - Housefire 1991

Blues

An unheralded gem that fell through the cracks during its initial issue in 1985 and definitely deserved its higher Bullseye Blues profile six years later. Except for a stinging cover of Detroit Junior's "Money Tree" that leads off, Smitty wrote the entire disc, and it's typically singular stuff: a paranoid "The Man Wants Me Dead," a promise to "Live On and Sing the Blues," all solidly backed by a sympathetic combo.
By Bill Dahl. AMG.
**
Carl Alfred- Sax (Tenor)
Mike Baietto- Guitar (Rhythm) 
Bruce Felgen- Bass  
Lafayette Leake- Keyboards  
Bert Lewis- Keyboards  
Ernest Potts Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
Joe Pusateri- Drums
Leon Skininski- Guitar (Rhythm)
Byther Smith- Guitar, Vocals, Producer
**
01. Money Tree  4:07
02. Live on and Sing the Blues  5:01
03. Dear Martha  4:39
04. Look All Around You  6:02
05. The Man Wants Me Dead  4:23
06. Knockdown  3:32
07. Wait and See  2:56
08. Love Me Like I Love You  4:17
09. Here I Am  4:28
**
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