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Blues Underground Network |
Charlie Musselwhite "The Well"
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If an Artist is lucky enough, there comes a time that they will create an Album that will forever define them. It will be an Album that will have come from a place where the Artist has found not only contentment with themselves, but also a sense of contentment with their music. The Album will deal more than likely with many of the Artist Turmoils and the Triumphs over them that followed. It may or may not be a commercial success, but it will be remembered as the Album in which the Synergy between the Artist and the Listener, was magical and that the message in the music was understood, loud and clear. For Charlie Musselwhite, his defining Album may very well be his latest release, "The Well", which marks his triumphant return, as an artist, to Alligator Records. Musselwhite was originally with Alligator Records in the 90's and released 3 Albums with them, "ACE OF HARPS", "SIGNATURE", and "IN MY TIME". Those 3 Albums still rate among his most successful releases. Charlie Musselwhite had long gained Legendary status as a Master Harmonica Player. That combined with his extremely unique spoken word delivery when singing has launched him to the upper echelons in the world of Blues Music. In his fabled career he has made acquaintances with and has played with many of the Legends that preceded him and throughout all of it, he has learned his craft well, doing honor to all his mentors. His first recording, was under the name Memphis Charlie, and was with Big Walter Horton, just to give you an idea of one of the giants he performed with, early in his career. "The Well" consists of 13 Tracks and marks the first time in his 43 year career spanning over 30 Albums, that he wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks, in fact all but one, "Dig The Pain" was written solely by Musselwhite'. One thing I really really liked about "The Well", was the liner notes in which Musselwhite describes in a paragraph or two, a little something about each song. I wish more Artists would personalize their Music like that, as it can really add a lot more meaning to each song. "The Well" should be taken for what it is, an autobiographical Album that explores many of the ups and downs of a very full life, thus far. An Album dealing with Tragedy and Triumph and the good times and bad times in between each. Two examples that outline those are number one, the title track "The Well" which is about how a near Tragedy, managed to turn his life around, and in doing so has given him a sober look at life for over 22 years now. The other track is "Sad And Beautiful World", and deals with the Tragedy of his Mother being murdered in 2005. "The Well" could best be described as a perfect marriage for Musselwhite, between his Lyrics, his Harp, his Guitar, (Yes he plays a mean guitar on two tracks), his vocals, and of course his audience. It will place him at the top of the heap as far as Blues Releases are concerned for this year, and perhaps for many years to come. It shows us a humble Legend that places enormous value on the lessons learned and on the fans that have never strayed from his side. "The Well" is a must have Album and shows us all, how good it can get, when a Blues Master is in fine form. I give this Album my highest rating of 5*****. Highly Recommended and Thoroughly Enjoyed... Review By John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network) Other Info And Reviews Harp legend returns to the foot-stomping blues of his heyday, with 13 gritty, intensely personal Musselwhite originals driven by his haunting vocals and fiery, graceful harmonica playing. Two tracks feature Charlie on guitar, and Mavis Staples guests on the gospel-ized blues "Sad & Beautiful World." "Superb, original and compelling...Harmonica master Musselwhite sets the standard for blues"--Rolling Stone ... Come experience the blues dripping off reeds. With The Well, Charlie Musselwhite’s return to Alligator Records -- where he recorded three successful albums in the early 1990s -- is his first recording where he wrote every track on the album. In addition to re-establishing himself on Alligator, the harmonica master, vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist also reconstructs himself as a traditional blues artist on The Well. The music here is quite different from the contemporary sounds he produced on his two previous discs on RealWorld Records. Yes, those trademark spoken-like vocals of Musselwhite’s abound on this 48-minute disc. You will also hear his Deep South influences (especially in his traditional acoustic guitar), probing and jazz-influenced harmonica, and overall laid-back sensibility. The band was brought together by producer Chris Goldsmith. The Well was recorded in Los Angeles with guitarist Dave Gonzales (Paladins, Hacienda Brothers), bassist John Bazz (The Blasters), and drummer Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, Mavis Staples). “Rambler’s Blues” kicks things off. Melodically it sounds like Muddy Waters’ “You Need Love.” However, the exclusive lyrics reveal Musselwhite’s passion to roam and ramble. The title track sounds like it could have come from the Delta Hardware recording sessions, but the song evolved naturally during the sessions for The Well. It’s a rockin’ number with a sound that is a throwback to the ’50s. The song reveals the inspiration which provided Musselwhite the courage to be brave and face his alcohol addiction. In December 2005, Musselwhite’s mother was murdered in her Memphis home. “Sad and Beautiful World” comes from the things he wanted to say after that tragic event. The highly-emotional song mixes a very sweet melody with tragic lyrics. The harp shares the anguish of the lyrics. With special guest and longtime friend, Mavis Staples, Charlie sings the tragic yet uplifting words, “Blues heal what’s been torn apart/Let the river heal my heart.” "Hoodoo Queen" sounds mysterious and spooky. It reveals the harp blower’s fascination with Marie Laveau, the Hoodoo Queen. Like a good novel, this song takes some time, three minutes in particular, to develop. “Cook County Blues” features southern country-styled fast finger guitar picking, which is ironic given the song, is about being arrested in the northern city of Chicago. With a full and big sounding guitar, rich harp, and thumping upright bass, “Dig The Pain” demonstrates the sound of West Coast jump/swing music. You also hear that sound, which combines ’50s Chicago blues with post-War Texas blues on the instrumental “Sonny Payne Special.” “Just You, Just Blues” contains one of those ultra-catchy grooves that naturally gets imbedded in your memory. Musselwhite has created such grooves time again throughout his almost 50-year career, most recently on “Church Is Out” from Delta Hardware. This song isn’t as rocking as church but the potent rhythm, masterful guitar, and soaring harp are the best the CD has to offer. Throughout, the harp skitters with emotion. Musselwhite plays his sensational mouth organ like a freewheeling piano man barreling up and down the 88s, and he possesses the innate ability to use his wistful Mississippi saxophone to carry your troubles away like a brisk wind. As a bonus, Musselwhite performs guitar on a couple tracks which sound like they came straight from the front porch of a Mississippi tin shack. With 30 solo albums to his credit, Musselwhite has also appeared on numerous recordings as a featured player with Tom Waits, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Blind Boys Of Alabama, INXS, and most recently, Cyndi Lauper. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall Of Fame in 2010, has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and has won 23 Blues Music Awards. Most of the 13 songs on The Well are simple and basic blues tunes. What stand out the most are the southern themes and southern rhythms. All the songs are autobiographical and reflect plenty of Musselwhite’s remarkable past. In reflecting on the past, it sets the stage for what may lay ahead for Musselwhite which is a deep well of treasured music. Above Review By Tim Holek http://www.bluenight.com/BluesBytes/ph0910.html Tracklist
1.Rambler's Blues 3:45 Listen To Samples Here... About Charlie Musselwhite Harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite’s life reads like a classic blues song: born in Mississippi, raised in Memphis and schooled on the South Side of Chicago. A groundbreaking recording artist since the 1960s, Musselwhite continues to create trailblazing music while remaining firmly rooted in the blues. His worldly-wise vocals, rich, melodic harmonica playing and deep country blues guitar work flawlessly accompany his often autobiographical and always memorable original songs. LIVING BLUES says, “Musselwhite’s rock-solid vocals creep up and overwhelm you before you know it. He plays magnificent harp with superb dexterity and phrasing. The results are amazing.” Over the last 43 years Musselwhite has released over 30 albums. Three of those — 1990s ACE OF HARPS, 1991’s SIGNATURE and 1993’s IN MY TIME — were recorded for Alligator Records and remain among his best-selling titles. Now, Charlie Musselwhite returns to Alligator with THE WELL. With musical flavors from Mississippi to Memphis to Chicago, THE WELL is steeped in the music of Charlie’s youth — country and city blues as well as rockabilly and gospel — the music that inspired his signature sound. The fresh, new songs speak from his decades of experience, hard living, and his triumph over adversity. THE WELL is the first full-band recording in Musselwhite’s long career for which he wrote or co-wrote every track on the album, and it is the most personal and the emotionally deepest cycle of songs he has ever created. THE WELL was recorded at Los Angeles’ legendary Sunset Sound with guitarist Dave Gonzales (Paladins, Hacienda Brothers), bassist John Bazz (The Blasters) and drummer Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, Mavis Staples), and was produced by Chris Goldsmith (Ruthie Foster, Grammy-winning Blind Boys of Alabama). The revealing, autobiographical songs recall specific events and places in Musselwhite’s amazingly colorful life. His conversational vocals and masterful harmonica work are perfectly matched with the stories he tells and the near-telepathic musicianship behind him. Simply put, THE WELL is Charlie Musselwhite at his very best. Central to the album are stories looking back at hard times and personal healing. “Dig The Pain” recalls his drinking days, while “The Well” tells of his recovery. In “Cook County Blues,” he wryly remembers his short stint behind bars. The most poignant song on the album, “Sad And Beautiful World” — a duet with Charlie’s close friend, legendary vocalist MAVIS STAPLES — is his response to the tragic murder of his 93-year-old mother in her own home (and the house Charlie grew up in) during a burglary. Each track on THE WELL is a chapter from Charlie’s life, and in the liner notes to the CD he offers some very personal insights into the meaning behind the songs. According to Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, having Musselwhite back on the label is pure pleasure. “I’m thrilled to welcome Charlie back to the Alligator Records family. He’s a real icon of American roots music, a brilliant harmonica player and a true storyteller as a vocalist and songwriter. Charlie’s a terrific guy to work with, a genuine road warrior who is out there pleasing the fans night after night. We’re looking forward to renewing a great relationship.” And Musselwhite couldn’t agree more, saying, “I don’t think anybody is happier than I am being back in the Alligator family. It feels good to be home.” Musselwhite’s personal history is the kind of story a novelist would sell his soul for, but his indomitable spirit is crafted by him alone. Tough times have been a huge part of his life, and have shaped him into a true working-class hero. His fans include young hipsters, Vietnam veterans, convicts, bikers, jazz aficionados, aging hippies and hard-core blues fans. He is a larger-than-life musical legend, writing and singing what he calls, “music from the heart.” According to Musselwhite, “It’s about the feeling, and about connecting with people. And blues, if it’s real blues, is loaded with feeling. And it ain’t about technique, either. It’s about truth, connecting to the truth and communicating with the people.” Born into a blue collar family in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 31, 1944 and raised by a single mother, Musselwhite grew up surrounded by blues, hillbilly and gospel music on the radio and outside his front door. His family moved to Memphis, where, as a teenager, he worked as a ditch digger, concrete layer and moonshine runner. Fascinated by the blues, Musselwhite began playing guitar and harmonica. It wasn’t easy growing up a poor, white boy in Memphis, even among the rich musical influences the city offered. He felt like an outcast and a stranger (themes that have informed, inspired and haunted his music to this day). As a teen, Musselwhite attended parties hosted by Elvis Presley and hobnobbed with many of the local musicians, including Johnny Cash and Johnny Burnette, but the celebrities young Charlie sought out were Memphis’ veteran bluesmen like Furry Lewis, Will Shade and Gus Cannon. Following the path of so many, Musselwhite moved to Chicago looking for better paying work. While driving an exterminator truck as a day job, Charlie lived on the South Side and hung out in blues clubs at night, developing close friendships with blues icons Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Joe Williams, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Before long, he was sitting in at clubs with Muddy and others, building an impressive word-of-mouth reputation. Soon after, Charlie was being paid to play in the same South Side neighborhood. Noted blues journalist Dick Shurman says, “The black Chicago blues artists all liked Charlie as a person. They felt that he was one of them — a southern country boy with a deep affinity for the blues.” His first recording, under the name Memphis Charlie, was with Big Walter Horton on the famous Vanguard Records series, CHICAGO/THE BLUES/TODAY!. Signing with Vanguard, Musselwhite (along with Paul Butterfield who was as urban as Charlie was rural) brought the amplified harmonica blues to a new audience of young, white rock and rollers, who discovered that Charlie personified the cool and hip counter-culture icons they admired. After the release of his first full-length LP — STAND BACK! HERE COMES CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE’S SOUTH SIDE BAND — he was embraced by the growing youth counter-culture and the newly emerging progressive rock FM radio stations, especially on the West Coast. His iconic status established, he relocated to San Francisco, often playing the famed Fillmore Auditorium. Over the years, he has released albums on a variety of labels, ranging from straight blues to music mixing elements of jazz, gospel, Tex-Mex, Cuban and other world music, winning new fans at every turn. He has been touring nationally and internationally for four decades and is among the best-known and best-loved blues musicians in the world. Musselwhite has guested on numerous recordings, as a featured player with Tom Waits, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, The Blind Boys of Alabama, INXS and most recently Cyndi Lauper. He has shared stages with countless blues and rock musicians. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall Of Fame in 2010, has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and has won 24 Blues Music Awards. The San Francisco Chronicle says, “Charlie Musselwhite’s harmonica playing shows taste, bite, restraint and power. He’s one of the best, and as a bluesman, he’s as real as they come.” Charlie Musselwhite today is as vital and creative as at any point in his long career. DownBeat calls him, “the undisputed champion of the blues harmonica.” In addition to his always-busy schedule, he hosts a weekly radio show, “Charlie’s Backroom,” on KRSH-FM in Santa Rosa, California (streamed at KRSH.com Sundays at 10:00am PST). He considers himself a lifelong learner and is constantly perfecting his craft. With THE WELL, Charlie Musselwhite returns with the strongest, most intimate album of his career — a powerful, personal collection of songs. Musselwhite’s blues, imparting his hard-won knowledge and working class wisdom, are a window into the deep well of his Mississippi soul. http://www.charliemusselwhite.com/ http://www.myspace.com/charliemusselwhite
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