However it was born, its sound is as smooth as silk and leaves lots of room for finger picking on the part of the guitar player, or just about any type of plucking, strumming, and or worry of strings that a player wants. John Dee will sometimes play with a claw hammer style, echoing the days he used to play banjo, but then again John has evolved his own way of doing just about everything to do with the Blues in the years he's been playing.
All you have to do is start listening to the music the Waifs and John Dee recorded and you'll see how special a player and singer he is. (He can't dance while playing guitar anymore, as he's had a couple of strokes, which have slowed him down a little, but he used to also be a pretty mean tap/clog dancer) From the opening track, his version of "John Henry" you just know you're in for a treat.
First off, for all Ms. Thorn's protestations, the Waifs are all pretty damn good players themselves, and provide some really sweet accompaniment all the way through the disc. I've always had a weakness for a well-played snare drum with acoustic music, so I personally appreciated the sound of brushes scrapping rhythmically during some of the swingier or mountain influenced tunes.
"Looking Yonder Comin'" (If you can't hear "Orange Blossom Special" or "Hear My Train A Comin'" in that song you need to get your ears checked) is a perfect example of a great meeting of musical styles. It starts off sounding like it could be a country gospel, then John's voice starts moving into another emotional pitch and we're now in Blues territory.
Then they move into their final song which is a rousing jam of "Baby Please Don’t' Go". It becomes an extended jam of guitars, harmonica, base and brushes slapping across the surface of a snare drum, until John decides they've had enough and winds it down. Remember this is a very relaxed informal gathering, a group of talented musicians hanging out in the studio and the tape just happened to be rolling. (I thought I had imagined it the first time, but during a second listen I definitely hear a baby cry on the song "Country Gal", which makes sense as it's as mournful a blues heartbreaker as you're liable to hear anywhere this side of the Mississippi or the other.)
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