“Church is Out,” nominated for Song of the Year, is a fabulous opening sermon in the newest chapter of the Charlie Musselwhite ministry. It combines a massive guitar riff with an indifferent vocal evoking “Sultans of Swing”-era Mark Knopfler. That dominating riff rings large enough and loud enough to make Keith Richards jealous.
"One of These Mornings," one of two Little Walter covers on Delta Hardware ("Just A Feeling" being the other), is a hard-charging shuffle propelled by the ubiquitous drums-as-oncoming-train rhythm and Musselwhite's wailing harmonica as the train's siren-like whistle. "Sundown," a Musselwhite original, borrows from Muddy Waters' arrangement of Slim Harpo's classic "I'm A King Bee."
The masterwork of Delta Hardware is the shadowy "Black Water." This track is an example of the power that is generated when music and lyric blend perfectly. The amplified effects on Musselwhite's mournful harp make it sound like it was recorded underwater. The murky sound of Chris 'Kid' Andersen's skillful touch adds another layer to the haunting, mysterious atmosphere. Musselwhite's laid back vocal allows his harp duel with Andersen's guitar to provide the emotional center to these words of apocalyptic warning.
The ferocious swagger of "Just a Feeling" breathes fire and gives the album momentum through its final tracks. Delta Hardware is a lean, muscular record without filler — ten songs, 40 minutes. The song lengths are varied as are the tempos and the sounds.
This is a basic harmonica, guitar, bass, drum configuration but producer Chris Goldsmith assists the players in finding great tones and effects for the instruments. In addition to the sonic variety in the instrumental texture, Musselwhite's vocal attack is also varied, running the gamut between gritty and detached. The performances and production achieve a level of excellence rarely heard these days.
I don't know exactly what I was expecting when I first listened to Delta Hardware. I think I was suspicious this might be another case of one of those wily veterans who had stuck around past his prime and was getting nominations based on past glories. Musselwhite has been a fixture on the blues scene since the release of his 1966 album, Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band (the misspelling of his name is the fault of his label). My skepticism seems silly when you consider I had never heard a lick of Musselwhite's music prior to Delta Hardware. I have still never heard anything from his so-called prime, so I can't tell you whether or not he used to be better. What I can tell you is no matter how good he might have been 40 years ago, he is not embarrassing himself now.The five BMA nominations he received are well deserved.
Article comments
1 - Nik
Nice review! I dug Delta Hardware too, fine gritty album. I actually interviewed Musselwhite this past summer - he was a real gent, very cool to talk to.
2 - Mark Saleski
ya, Musselwhite's great isn't he? i think i only have one of his discs (and can't even remember what it is) but every time i listen to it i get the "hey, i need more of this stuff" thing goin' on.
nice review dj.
3 - DJRadiohead
Thanks, Saleski and Nik.
I liked this album so much I did wind up going out and buying Sanctuary. This was a cool discovery.
4 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article has been forwarded to the Advance.net websites.
5 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! This article is a Editor's Pick.