GARY CLARK,JR.

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“Life Is A Journey.” The Hutto track, a devastating plea for redemption, might have been the album’s second-half peak – if not for the explosive “No Fast Food.” That song doesn’t just rock the house; it threatens to blow the whole thing down. Jump Start is a tour de force, as raucously felt and blisteringly articulated as anything Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials have ever done. These guys have always made raw-boned, incendiary records that blend the deep emotions of old with the fiery intensity of the new. This one, though, might be their best yet. – Nick DeRiso 42 BLUES REVUE MILTON HOPKINS & JEWEL BROWN Milton Hopkins & Jewel Brown Dialtone Accurately capturing the 1950s Texas electric blues vibe is no easy feat at this late date. Of course, it helps if the artists actually are products of the era. That’s a large part of the reason this disc is such a delightful triumph: guitarist Milton Hopkins and vocalist Jewel Brown were part of the Houston scene during its glory years. Hopkins played behind Little Richard early on, toured with Johnny Ace and Big Mama Thornton during their heyday, and was an integral member of the Upsetters, saxist Grady Gaines’ hell-raising combo, before spending just about all of the ‘70s as B.B. King’s rhythm guitarist. Brown cut a 1955 single for Don Robey’s Duke label, then barnstormed the globe throughout the ‘60s as featured chanteuse with no less than Louis Armstrong. Together, they’re a match made in Houston blues heaven. Nine of this disc’s dozen tracks spotlight Brown’s beguiling pipes. You don’t hear Latin-tinged grooves nearly enough in the blues milieu anymore, but the slightly risqué leadoff track “Jerry” and a savory revival of Ruth Brown’s “Daddy Daddy” make the most of their effervescent rhythms (Johnny Bradley is on bass, with Corey Keller and Jason Moeller splitting drum duties), Jewel granting both saucy readings. Little Willie John’s slinky minor-key “I’m Shakin’” receives a welcome dusting off, while an improbably titled “Cry Me A River” (actually a series of timeless blues stanzas strung together Big
Joe Turner-style, opening with “In The Evening”) swings like crazy, pianist Nick Connolly comping solidly. Hopkins steps up for typically sublime solos on several of Brown’s numbers, wasting nary a note. He’s front and center on three original instrumentals: the elegant, jazzy ballad “Evening Breeze,” a New Orleans-tinged “Back To The Shimmy” fueled by Kaz Kazanoff’s recurring sax riffs, and Hopkins’ stinging licks, and a harddriving “Tater Tots” that’s pure ‘50s Houston blues. Not everything fits so neatly into that milieu. The too-brief “There’s A Light” and an uplifting “How Can I Lose” sport sanctified lyrics; J.B. Lenoir’s shambling “The Whale Has Swallowed Me” and a downbeat “I’m Leavin’ You Now” find Milton switching to acoustic axe and the rhythm section stripping down to its core, shifting the atmosphere dramatically. Easily one of 2012’s best blues CDs, and an encouraging reminder that there are still criminally underrecorded blues veterans out there capable of making exceptional albums if given the opportunity. – Bill Dahl MARIA MULDAUR & FRIENDS First Came Memphis Minnie Stony Plain Title aside, Minnie Douglas-Lawlers, one of the first inductees in the new Memphis Music Hall of Fame, wasn’t the first woman to sing the blues or even the first woman to back herself on guitar. But she was such a powerful, prolific singer-musician-recording artist that she stands alone, an inspiration to all who followed, an archetype on the level of a Charley Patton. Maria Muldaur, who has been singing Minnie’s music for almost 50 years, headed this fine, varied tribute album, giving it more emotional heft than the usual blues homage. She sings eight of the 13 songs, and her warm, womanly voice, deeper than the soprano of her girlish days with the Kweskin Jug Band, finds that fine balance of blues and country that makes her the best contemporary interpreter of Minnie’s musical legacy. Famed for playing guitar “like a man” it was Minnie’s songwriting that kept her recording far longer than most of her country-blues brothers and sisters. Her songs were covered by everyone from Bob Wills (“Frankie Jean”) to Led Zeppelin (“When the Levee Breaks”). Muldaur opens the set with “Me And My Chauffeur Blues,” a bit of auto-eroticism that melodically recalls “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” and features Roy Rogers on acoustic guitar. Minnie’s two most distinctively autobiographical songs, “Ain’t Nothing In Ramblin’” and “In My Girlish Days” are by two of Muldaur’s old friends, Bonnie Raitt and the late Phoebe Snow, respectively. Snow’s 1976 recording features David Bromberg, one of the all-star accompanists with Rogers, Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart, Steve James and Steve Freund. Fittingly, along with Raitt, the disc features some of today’s finest female country blues guitarists, Mudaur’s accompanist Del Rey, Rory Block on the solo “When You Love Me,” and Ruthie Foster (on a burning “Keep Your Big Mouth Closed”). The styles range from solo pieces to Muldaur’s classic acoustic ensembles to full-tilt Chicago blues on the finale, the late Koko Taylor’s take on “Black Rat Swing.”First Came Memphis Minnie isn’t just a tribute, it’s a revival, reminding us just how timeless her music remains 40 years after her death. Born at the end of the 19th century, she’s one of the greatest of that first generation of bluesmen and women. As we settle into the 21st, Memphis Minnie remains Queen of Country Blues. – Larry Nager OMAR & THE HOWLERS Too Much Is Not Enough Big Guitar Music With anybody else, releasing three albums in a year would be overkill. In addition, cutting more tracks on an artist he’s already covered in a previous tribute album, ‘07’s On The Jimmy Reed Highway, would also be too much exposure for many musicians. But with Omar Dykes, it just makes you want more. This is a first rate offering, with the late Gary Primich playing masterful harp. On the ‘07 release, Omar had covered some of Reed’s more familiar work, but here he delves into some of Reed’s lesser-known works. That doesn’t mean it’s any less impressive. The cuts are all short, with no drawn-out improvisations; a just-the-facts approach, get it said and move on. “Gotta Let You Go” shares the same melody line with “Tee Ni Nee Ni Nu” and “Scratch My Back,” featuring great wahwah harp by Primich backed by Gary Clark, Jr.’s slinky slide and Omar’s vocals sounding like he’s been gargling with grave dirt. Omar rises up out of the gravel pit several octaves higher than his usual vocal characterizations for “Honest I Do,“ and once again Primich’s plaintive harp work raises goose bumps with his fine interpretation. “Take Out Some Insurance” has a little stiffer backbeat than the original. Omar’s back down in the quarry spitting out stone-dusted vocals, sounding so wracked with pain that you know he’s not kidding about croaking if his beloved takes a powder. By the time you get to “You Don’t Have To Go,” you really don’t want this recording to end. Everybody shines on this one; Clark turning in a slide demonstration that’ll have you baying at the moon, Primich’s harp floating wraith-like above the mix, and Omar sliding up and down octaves interrogating his soon to be ex-squeeze about her disrespectin’ ways. You won’t want to skip around. Every cut reaches out and grabs you by the throat. It’s a pleasure to listen to Omar interpreting this music. You can tell he’s not just a fan but a student who’s learned his lesson well. – Grant Britt BLUES REVUE 43
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GARY CLARK,JR.

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