Rita Chiarelli "Music From The Big House"

 

One could say it has been done before, with Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, but one could never say that the message and the meaning have come through any clearer then it has with Rita Chiarelli's latest labor of love, "Music From The Big House". "Music From The Big House" was recorded live inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary, aka Angola, and is the Soundtrack to the award winning documentary of the same name.

 

"Music From The Big House" was a project of Rita's that was 10 years in the making and started when she was on a pilgrimage doing research down Highway 61. When she came across Angola and started to learn about it's musical history, it totally mystified her and thus the 10 year journey began, which turned into a Documentary and now an amazingly inciteful and powerful Album. By the way, Angola, nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South" and "The Farm, was the prison that once housed the legendary blues artist, Huddie William Ledbetter aka Lead Belly. "It was there, in 1933, that he was "discovered" by folklorists John Lomax and his then 18-year-old son Alan Lomax during a visit to the Angola Prison Farm."

 

"Music From The Big House" consists of 13 Tracks that have no problem giving you the feel that you are sitting right there with the inmates, goose bumps running up and down your spine as Rita and the other performers sing the music which resinates loud and clear, especially with many in the audience whom have lived and are still living the words that are being sung.

 

When it comes to Soundtracks, the best way I can describe them, as far as how they come across to me is, that they are simply movies that you watch with your eyes closed, and if they are done really well, as "Music From The Big House" was, they will transport you to just as many wonderful places as a good book will.

 

The journey that is "Music From The Big House", starts off with a hauntingly beautiful opening number called "Rita's Journey". This track, which was written and performed by Christopher Guglick, is 1:19 in length and gives you a wonderful sense of Rita first entering the walls of Louisiana State Penitentiary, with the sounds of the inmates mixed in with the sound of birds in the background. The instrument of choice for this track was the piano, with the notes being wonderfully elongated for effect. This track ends with the footsteps of Rita being softly heard.

 

"These Four Walls" is the next Track and one of several that were not recorded live in Louisiana State Penitentiary, in addition to "Rita's Journey", and "Convicted". "These Four Walls" is a very simply done and very raw song that is about as perfect of a start you could expect to such an Album.

 

Track 3 is called "Mississippi Boy" and was written by Floyd Hamberlin and performed by The Jazzmen, a group of 9 great artists and 1 of 3 addition groups of musicians performing on "Music From The Big House". The other 2 groups were Pure Heart Messenger (10 artists) and Little Country (5 artists). All three of those groups are made up of inmates of Louisiana State Penitentiary. Contrary to their name, The Jazzmen "are a straight ahead blues band". Pure Heart Messenger is a Gospel group and Little Country, as the name implies in this case, is a little country. With the performance of "Mississippi Boy", one gets the sense that this band could easily put the run on any band on the other side of the walls.

 

"Don't Let Him Catch You (With Your Work Undone)" is the name of Track 4 which was written by Max Powell, Jo Armstrong, and Eddie Crandall and is the first Track on "Music From The Big House" performed by the Gospel group Pure Heart Messenger. This song features the wonderful full vocals of Ray Jones.

 

Track 5, "Mercy Blues" is another original song of Rita's, performed by The Jazzmen featuring 'Ross' (Fredrick Ross) and along with The Jazzmen, this tune really starts to heat up when Rita steps in around the halfway mark.

 

Track 6, "Harvest" is another Gospel song by Pure Heart Messenger, but this time around they highlight the amazing vocals of yet another one of their members, Albert Patterson. With the background vocal accompaniment of Pure Heart Messenger, "Harvest" comes across as Gospel sung at it's celebratory best.

 

The next Track up is called "Rest My Bones", a song I got acquainted with from Rita's previous album, "Sweet Paradise", but unlike the way it was done on that Album, this time it is done as a Prison Yard Rehearsal. This is a great addition to this Album with Rita explaining the song to the other singers as they run through it's rehearsal. The first half of the track is everyone getting acquainted with the way Rita would like it to sound and then it melts into the song being performed in the second half of the track.

 

Track 8 finds us listening to a great traditional song "Glory, Glory". Rita performs this gospel oriented song with none other then Pure Heart Messenger. This is wonderful interpretation and performance of that standard.

 

Track 9 & 10 is a song written by Marvin Jefferys called "Rain On Me". Track 9 is the rehearsal and Track 10 is the actual full length song. Once again the star here is Ray Jones who is backed up beautifully by the rest of Pure Heart Messenger, throughout this Track.

 

Track 11 is another original from Rita Chiarelli called, "I Love You Still" and since I cannot find the song on any of her other Albums, I am assuming that it was written solely for "Music From The Big House". This particular song is a little country, but of course it doesn't matter what Genre Rita is singing, the music still comes across as magical.

 

Musical get togethers such as this one all have their grand finales at the end and for "Music From The Big House", the song chosen was the Traditional "Midnight Special". Everyone, of course, gets in the act for this one and it could not have been a better song to end the last Live Track on this Album. The last few seconds of the Track fade to clapping and then it is farewell to all.

 

The beginning of "Music From The Big House", started off with a track written and performed by Christopher Guglick and that it the way this Album also ends, with another of Guglick's compositions called "Convicted". Again, it is more hauntingly beautiful music performed on his piano for 1:25. A wonderful end to an equally wonderful Album.

 

Not often do artists get a chance to out do themselves and in the process take monumental steps forward, but in the case of "Music From The Big House", Rita Chiarelli has done just that. She has not only managed to put together a truly inspirational Documentary, but also an equally stirring Soundtrack to that project.

 

"Music From The Big House" ethusiastically gets my Highest Rating of 5*****. Highly Recommended and Thoroughly Enjoyed. I cannot wait for the release of the DVD, which is slated for 2012.

 

Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)

 

 

Additional Info

 

Tracklist

 

1) Rita's Journey
2) These Four Walls
3) Mississippi Boy
4) Don't Let Him Catch You (With Your Work Undone)
5) Mercy Blues
6) Harvest
7) Rest My Bones (Prison Yard Rehearsal)
8) Glory Glory
9) Rain On Me (Prison Yard Rehearsal)
10) Rain On Me
11) I Love You Still
12) Midnight Special
13) Convicted

 

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