Sam Myers • Mississippi Delta Blues

 

Sam Myers • Coming From The Old School

Review by Chris Nickson

It's taken Sam Myers fully 50 years to make his first solo album. But he's no stranger to either stage or studio, having worked with Elmore James and Anson Funderburgh. For his debut he's assembled a top-notch band, led by guitarist Mel Brown, to work not so much behind him as with him. Brown is a standout as an accompanist, offering wonderful decoration to "I Got the Blues" and "Burning Fire." But understandably, it's Myers who's the star of the show, and his driving harmonica playing carries its own momentum, as on his version of Rice Miller's "Ninety Nine." But there's also a very pleasing grit to his singing, whether on the slow and deeply soulful"After Hours When the Joint Is Closed," or "Waitin' On Your Mama," which could have come directly from the Chicago school of blues. It might have taken him five decades to get to this, but from the music on the disc, not a single minute was wasted.

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Revisión por Chris Nickson

Sam Myers ha tardado 50 años en hacer su primer álbum en solitario. Pero no es ajeno al escenario ni al estudio, ya que trabajó con Elmore James y Anson Funderburgh. Para su debut, formó una banda de primera categoría, dirigida por el guitarrista Mel Brown, para trabajar no tanto detrás de él como con él. Brown es un destacado como acompañante, que ofrece una decoración maravillosa para "I Got the Blues" y "Burning Fire". Pero, comprensiblemente, es Myers quien es la estrella del espectáculo, y su forma de tocar la armónica tiene su propio impulso, como en su versión de "Ninety Nine" de Rice Miller. Pero también hay un tono muy agradable en su canto, ya sea en el lento y profundamente conmovedor "After Hours When the Joint Is Closed" o "Waitin 'On Your Mama", que podría haber venido directamente de la Chicago School of Blues. Podría haberle llevado cinco décadas llegar a esto, pero debido a la música del disco, no se perdió ni un solo minuto.