"Preachin' The Blues: The Music of Mississippi Fred McDowell"
Telarc CD-83536

By Roger M. Spoto

When I first saw this CD, my first thought was, "Geez, this could be a suicide mission." How can you cover a legendary country bluesman whose rough vocals and Delta bottleneck guitar have influenced artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt and The Rolling Stones? After my first listen, not only was it painless, I was very pleasantly surprised. Telarc obviously gave this some thought and summoned some of the finest purveyors of acoustic Blues to do justice to this project. Paul Geremia lends his considerable 12-string talents to "Get Right Church" and harp meister Charlie Musselwhite switches to guitar for an effective, soulful rendition of "61 Highway". Brian Stoltz' stunning cover of McDowell's famous "You Gotta Move" is worth the price of the CD. His vocal inflection and masterful slide guitar (listen carefully to the strings popping) in a style you rarely hear nowadays will make you sit up and take notice. David Maxwell's piano work on "I Heard Somebody Call" has a hauntingly beautiful intro, then kicks into a higher gear and finishes an elegant fade. Steve James' slide treatment of "I Rolled and I Tumbled" has the back porch feel that Fred always tried to convey. Folk singer Colleen Sexton gives a fine performance on "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning" with range and feel to spare. Although too numerous to name, the engineering team for this CD are to be praised for their contribution to the "live feel" of this album. Hey, it's not Fred but this compilation of tunes and artists is one for your collection. Highly recommended.