Mississippi Fred McDowell - This Ain't No Rock N' Roll

Published Sunday 26th April 2009
Mississippi Fred McDowell - This Ain't No Rock N' Roll
Mississippi Fred McDowell - This Ain't No Rock N' Roll

STYLE: Blues
RATING 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 78861-15322
LABEL: Arhoolie CD441
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Not to be confused with his similarly titled 'I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll', this 1995 re-issue is a game of two halves. First up are eight tracks that originally featured on McDowell's 1969 release 'Fred McDowell And His Blues Boys' which see the Delta slide guitarist amped up and backed by young pretenders Mike Russo, John Kahn and Bob Jones on guitar, bass and drums respectively. Proceedings kick off with a somewhat shaky stab at Little Walter's "My Babe" (titled "My Baby" on this release) whilst McDowell draws on early musical influences in the traditional numbers "When The Saints Go Marching In" and "Levee Camp Blues". Arguably more intriguing are 10 previously unissued songs recorded at the house of legendary Arhoolie Records owner Chris Strachwitz one evening in 1968. Tracks such as "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning" reference McDowell's Christian faith (as much as his trademark tendency to leave words and lines unfinished allows) whilst the eerie "I Heard Somebody Calling Me" represents a warts and all jam session between McDowell and drummer John Francis. By the end of the session, McDowell had sufficiently warmed up to produce some substantial solo efforts that explain why artists such as Bonnie Raitt and the Rolling Stones hold this man in high regard. In particular, the fantastic "Worried Now, Won't Be Worried Long" and "Going Down That Gravel Bottom" showcase the chemistry between McDowell's guitar work and vocal performance and are very much the highlight of this collection. Whilst there are certainly better examples of McDowell's work out there, this remains a worthy and fascinating release.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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