Not the Same Old Blues Crap, Vol. 2

Includes liner notes by Chris Morris.
It worked the first time around, so why not a second offering of Not the Same Old Blues Crap? For volume two, Fat Possum has patched together another riveting collection of hypnotic boogies, wailing guitars, and Mississippi moans -- but lo and behold, there's also a tender side to this album that may surprise both fans and critics of the label. While listeners can still expect to find plenty of electric juke-joint swagger courtesy of R.L. Burnside, Paul "Wine" Jones, and T-Model Ford, a good half of the songs here are statements of subtlety, with Scott Dunbar's falsetto-laden "Easy Rider" (reissued from his 1972 Ahura Mazda LP From Lake Mary) and King Ernest's soul ballad rendering of Tom Waits' "House Where Nobody Lives" leading the way. Fat Possum puts a fat spotlight on its deep lineup of solo performers -- Robert Belfour, Asie Payton, Junior Kimbrough, Dunbar, and Burnside all take relaxed turns inhabiting the role of the lone bluesman, who has perhaps never sounded so alive since the prewar era. But the jewel of this compilation is actually a duet shared by Kimbrough and rockabilly guitarist Charlie Feathers: the lighthearted "I Feel Good Again," which was originally cut in 1969. It's an uncharacteristic but charming blues that marries Feathers' precise, flat-picked strumming with Kimbrough's loping vocals and lead guitar runs. There's absolutely nothing like it -- just like Fat Possum, of course. ~ Ken Chang