Most Things Haven't Worked Out

Principally recorded at Kimbrough's Joint, Chulahoma, Mississippi.
The unlikely blues revival that occurred during the '90s, based around Fat Possum Records and supported by various indie punks and die-hard garage rockers, spurred an interest in a second wave of elderly near-death bluesmen. Chief among these legends was Holly Springs, Mississippi's Junior Kimbrough. While many blues musicians from the original '60s revival were worshipped for their dazzling skills and heartfelt vocals, Kimbrough was all about raw gutbucket emotion.
MOST THINGS HAVEN'T WORKED OUT, Kimbrough's third album for Fat Possum, contains all the key elements of the man's haunting sound. His signature droning guitar lines on the tracks "Lonesome Road" and "I'm Leaving You Baby" howl like banshees in the delta night, while on "Burn in Hell" his able backing band lays down quintessential Hill Country rhythms that increase the heat and turn things downright evil. And though Junior wasn't the best singer that ever picked up a guitar, he could say more about life's misery with a simple cry of "baby" than singers with a notebook full of deep thoughts ever could. MOST THINGS HAVEN'T WORKED OUT is not only an excellent introduction to Junior Kimbrough, it's one of the best blues records of the late 20th century.