Big River Blues from Amazon.com

by
Genevieve Williams
Reports of the death of old-style Delta blues have been greatly exaggerated. On Big River Blues, J. Dustin Sommers, accompanied solely by a guitar, digs deep into the Delta and comes up with Honeyboy Edwards ("Worried Man Blues"), Skip James ("I'm So Glad"), Charley Patton (a rollicking "Moon Goin' Down"), Mississippi Fred McDowell ("You Got to Move"), and Blind Lemon Jefferson ("One Kind Favor"). Sommers can write this stuff as well as play it; check out the gorgeous slide work on "First Things First," the slow and sweet "Sunset on Big River," the uptempo (and far too brief) "Duolian in 'D'," and others. There's an intimacy to this music that contemporary blues can't match, nor should it try. It's a peaceful, pleasant surprise, like a river at sunset, and should be enjoyed in equal measure.

Added:  Saturday, August 02, 2003
Reviewer:  Genevieve Williams
Score:
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