Come On In This House

Performer: Junior Wells
Artist: Sonny Landreth; Tab Benoit; Bob Margolin; Corey Harris; John Mooney; Alvin Youngblood Hart
Producer: John Snyder
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: This is a DTS CD, which features DTS 5.1 Surround Sound technology and is playable on a DTS-capable 5.1 Surround Sound system. This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players. Personnel includes: Junior Wells (vocals, harmonica); Alvin "Youngblood" Hart (vocals, slide guitar, 12-string dobro); Derek Trucks, Bob Margolin (acoustic & electric guitars); Tab Benoit (acoustic guitar); Corey Harris, John Mooney (slide guitar); John Cleary (piano); Bob Sunda (acoustic & electric basses); Herman Ernest III (drums). Engineers: Michael Bishop, Tony Daigle, Jay Newland. Recorded at Dockside, Maurice, Louisiana; Soundtrack Studios, New York, New York between April 16 and May 31, 1996. Includes liner notes by Frank John Hadley. All tracks have been digitally remastered. This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players. Junior Wells' penchant for clowning around sometimes conflicts with his craftsmanship, but he's all business on Come on in This House, his most unadulterated blues record since his highly acclaimed Hoodoo Man Blues of more than 30 years vintage. This is what has come to be known as an "unplugged" session -- that is, predominately, although not exclusively, acoustic instrumentation. Producer John Snyder's concept was threefold: to team Wells with some of the era's top younger traditional blues guitarists -- Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Sonny Landreth, Bob Margolin, and John Mooney; to have those musicians, in various combinations, accompany Wells on a variety of slide guitars; and to concentrate on vintage Chicago and Delta blues from the repertoires of Rice Miller, Little Walter, Tampa Red, Arthur Crudup, and Wells himself. The result is a virtual slide-guitar mini-fest and a demonstration of the timeless appeal of classic blues done well. Wells' vocals are deep and manly; his harp playing is high-pitched, like a child's pleading. A surprising highlight is the only contemporary tune on the disc, Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason." New Orleans drummer Herman Ernest III, who appears on 11 of the 14 cuts, does a masterful job laying down understated rhythmic grooves. ~ Steve Hoffman

Q (2/97, p.102) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...This largely acoustic face-off with a posse of guest slide guitarists easily stands beside the singer/harmonica player's finest work..." JazzTimes (2/97, p.87) - "...No burgeoning horn sections or blustery arrangements here; just Wells' distinctively soulful voice and signature honking backed by the rock solid New Orleans rhythm section....An intriguing showcase for the Young Lions Of Slide Guitar, topped of with the regal presence of Junior..." Living Blues (1-2/97, p.66) - "COME ON IN THIS HOUSE presents harmonica veteran Junior Wells in a wide variety of settings, surrounded by a bevy of slide guitarists....Relying more on straight blues than many of Wells' albums..."

One of the true giants of blues harmonica, Junior Wells is regarded--along with Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson--as a definitive post-WWII figure. Wells rose to prominence after replacing Little Walter in Muddy Waters's band, then reached the pinnacle of his fame in the mid 1960s when he and Buddy Guy formed a fruitful partnership. He performed until his death in 1998.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25