Blues Is Black

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: (Independently by Label)

Notes: This two-disc collection of old blues 78s, most of which date from the 1930s and 1940s (the Bessie Smith track, a stately version of "Cemetery Blues," was recorded in the 1920s), rambles all over the place through the styles and genres of early blues, from Delta slide to guitar rags and early jump blues, and given the lack of liner notes, has the feel of a hastily thrown together set. That ramshackle feel, though, is part of the charm of Blues Is Black, which offers a solid 100 minutes of old blues, and although there are some famous names here (Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, John Lee Hooker), they are represented by relatively obscure sides and not their commonly anthologized titles, which is a nice plus. Among the highlights here are Sleepy John Estes' "Drop Down (I Don't Feel Welcome Here)," Mississippi John Hurt's gentle and disarming "Frankie," Charley Patton's powerful "Revenue Man Blues," and Robert Johnson's kinetic slide guitar on "Preaching Blues." The primal ooze of John Lee Hooker's instrumental "Stomp Boogie" makes it sound like it has just crawled out of a prehistoric blues swamp, and it literally gives chills. For some reason two live recordings of pianist Blind John Davis from the early 1970s in Europe are included, and while they don't really fit the time span of the rest of the set, both "Everyday I Have the Blues" and "C.C. Rider" are beautifully nuanced gems. It's hard to know whether Blues Is Black works as a collection by design or by accident, but it does work, and for fans of early blues looking for some rare tracks by both the obvious and not so obvious artists, this anthology is definitely worth a try. ~ Steve Leggett

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