BMA Music Review: Watermelon Slim & The Workers
Published January 10, 2007
Editor's Note: This review is the first in a series of albums and artists nominated for 2007 Blues Music Awards (full list of nominees). Watermelon Slim is nominated in the following BMA categories: Album of the Year, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Band of the Year, Song of the Year, Traditional Blues Album of the Year, Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year.
When I think of the blues, I think of the haunted wail of Robert Johnson, Otis Rush’s tortured howl and stinging vibrato, Muddy Waters’ deep, cavernous moan, Buddy Guy’s frenetic fretwork and dramatic delivery, John Lee Hooker’s snarl and swirl, Little Walter’s virtuosic harp blasts, and Otis Spann’s righteous right hand.
Unlike the Grammys, I take for granted the nominating committee for the Blues Foundation knows what it is doing. NARAS, the outfit responsible for the Grammys, has proven they know dick about music. The Blues Foundation has to be different. The blues is all they do. If anybody knows where it is at with the blues, it is them and they say Watermelon Slim & The Workers is where it is at in 2006. Their self-titled album is nominated for six Blues Music Awards- the most of any nominee. That built up my expectations, and expectations can be a motherfucker. I started to doubt my taste and question my ears I was not immediately won over by the album. I need not have worried.
I know what you are thinking, and you are wrong. You are probably thinking I conned myself into liking a record I did not like to score a seat at the cool kids’ table. I understand how you could draw that conclusion. I admit the nominations played a role- just not the role you are might think they did. The nominations did not make me like the album but persuaded me not to be too hasty in my judgment of it. My narrow definition of what the blues should sound like was the real problem.
The album opens with BMA Song of the Year nominee “Hard Times” (and if that isn't a quintessential blues title, I don't know what is). The blues has come a long way when you hear lines like “I'm too frustrated to see my psychiatrist.” Slim's lyrics may reflect a degree of modernity, but his marvelous slide work would make the early masters proud.
Speaking of traditional, the acoustic slide work on “Folding Dollar Blues” is stunning and is as good as any I have ever heard, with the guitar sound bearing just the slightest resemblance to The Doobie Brothers' “Black Water.” These are workingman's blues, phrased with flair. Slim has a conversation of sorts with the dead presidents on his money, starting with George Washington working sequentially all the way up to (non-president) Benjamin Franklin as he watches his cash fritter away (Alexander Hamilton was not a president, either, but “dead presidents” is not my term). First the taxman takes his cut, and what's left goes to his woman, leaving him looking for a spare dime.
Josh Hathaway is Assistant Music Editor for BC Magazine. He is formerly an award-winning journalist and broadcaster and publishes the BC Network site Confessions of a Fanboy .
- BMA Music Review: Watermelon Slim & The Workers
- Published: January 10, 2007
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Blues, Review
- Part of a feature: 2007 Blues Music Awards
- Writer: Josh Hathaway
- Josh Hathaway's BC Writer page
- Josh Hathaway's personal site
- Spread the Word
- Like this article?
- Email this
Save to del.icio.us
Comments on this articleComments
Even his stage name tells you that this is some good blues! But with six nominations, I'm gonna have to see what the fuss is all about. The Blues Foundation does a good job at awarding the deserving.
Oh, and thanks a lot for the "Black Water" reference. I had a hard enough time getting that song out of my cranium after writing about the album it came on. Now it's back stronger than ever. Arghh!!! ;&)
It popped into my head almost immediately the first time I listened to "Folding Dollar Blues." In fact, last night when I was putting the finishing touches on the review I went and listened to clips of "Black Water" on iTunes because I have no DBs CDs in my collection.
By all means, get yourself a copy of this album. It took a couple of spins for me to really digest it but now these songs have gotten under my skin.
Very nicely written review. I feel the same way about most modern blues artists - with very few exceptions.
One such exception is a D.C. artist by the name of Ben Andrews. He has two albums with Mapleshade Records ('Preaching The Blues', and 'harp, steel, and guts'). When he recorded with Mapleshade he did so as The Blue Rider Trio.
The Blue Rider Trio sports some incredible Harp playing (Mark Wenner), as well as a slap bassist. While slap bass is not my favorite instrument, it's still vastly better than the accordion! OK, it's a technique used with the bass, and not just an instrument. Nonetheless, it fails to give that deep percussion sound you need to back up some guy pluckin' away on a Dobro resonator. The harmonica really does wonders to warm up those sweet blues tones.
Regarding the harmonica playing, I'm not kidding when I say that Mark Wenner is incredible. He adds such texture to the music that you often forget that it is really just three guys playing! How many trios have you heard that don't sound thin? Plus, he's making up for a rather thin bass section.
Ben is currently touring all over Europe, and has had multiple invites to blues festivals all over the world. So, why is he so popular? Once you hear his virtuoso Piedmont pickin' you'll know why!
And his voice? There are plenty of great blues musicians (e.g. Leo Kottke, Harlem Slim, John Mayhall) that don't have the kind of voice needed to make you "feel" the blues that they play. Ben Andrews suffers from no such ailment. His voice has the kind of rich, down-low blues grit that most people would have to gargle gasoline to get.
To happen upon such a multi-faceted blues musician is a pleasant surprise indeed. What is even more surprising is that Ben Andrews remains one of the blues world's best kept secrets. Apparently he has recorded a BBC session, as well recording several albums in Brittan (four I think). Yet, those various recorded events and albums are apparently not available in the US.
If you care to hear him YouTube has a clip of The Blue Rider Trio doing Blind Willie McTell's famous Statesboro Blues:
The YouTube version of the Blue Rider Trio is not made up of the same three gentleman. This trio uses a real drummer to provide the percussion. The harmonica is a hyper, if not irritating, reed blower. He's no Mark Wenner, but he's certainly talented - If you could just get him to quit bouncing around the stage (and nowhere in sync' with the rhythm either!).
Thanks for your great review, I hope you like mine,
-Sam
Hugh Feeley's rhythm was never effected by his enthusiasm for playing the tune. This version of Statesboro was played to a near empty house; he's certainly not grandstanding, Ben and I were not distracted. That his physical demeanor could fairly be described as 'hyper', might be balanced against the fact that he not "playing to the crowd", it's not histrionics ...he was just enjoying playing the groove.
Also to be taken into account: Hugh is about 10 years younger than Mark Wenner. Most notable in explaining Hugh's performances reflecting experience above the elders': Mark did not have Hugh's dozens of gigs worth of, years worth of, and many hundreds of hours experience of, playing Ben's repetoire as a duo.
The youtube clips are, of course, live, club performances. They weren't selected from multiple studio takes, to give THE best performances. To add my opinion,that those sessions come from a studio with a dry, and rather sterile sound.
The Blue Riders 40, highly rated, clips are here.
Cheers,
Tim Jarvis
The Blue Riders, drums and percussion
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/58031)
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites.