On The Chicago Blues Scene is nearly an hour of some of the best Blues music I've heard in a long time. First of all, you have people like Carey Bell in his prime playing harmonica, and secondly you have a vocalist in John Estes who, in spite of his age and weakening strength, is able to cut through the music without ever sounding like he's straining. Finally, the strength of the music's rural roots gives the urban sound of the band a solidity that you hardly ever find in modern electric Blues.
Listen to a song like "Divin' Duck Blues" with its infamous lines, "If the river were whiskey and I were a duck/I'd swim to the bottom and never come up," and you'll swear you've never heard it sung before. Instead of the line being a throwaway joke like you hear it now, you can hear the depths of sorrow a person would have to feel to actually believe that sentiment.
It's hearing John sing that reminds you forcibly that he is only one generation removed from slavery, and the music has a sub-context that would have been forgotten by the players he was recording with. The catch in his throat, the wellspring of emotion that can be heard behind each lyric, are not feigned, but born out of a life where existence is tenuous, and fear and mistrust are constant companions when dealing with the world.
Sleepy John Estes On The Chicago Blues Scene is a collection of great songs that brings together two generations of Blues musicians to create a disc that contains the best elements of the rural and urban sound. You can buy this disc for its historical significance if you want, but the best reason for getting a copy is that it's great music.
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