Sons of the Delta
"Made in Mississippi" (Rawtone Records, 2006) and "One for the Road" (Blues Matters, 2004)
Picture courtesy of The Sons of The Delta
When Mark Cole quietly slipped me
copies of the two Sons of the Delta CDs at the April BASEQ jam, I played them
and thought they were definitely of review quality. It is to my shame that it’s
taken until Mark has returned to the UK for me to do the right thing, and
actually write about them and his band!
Of the two CDs, “Made in Mississippi”
(Rawtone Records 2006) and “One for the Road” (Blues Matters 2004), Made in
Mississippi is the better for my money. Maybe that's because like good wine,
bands do mellow with a bit of age, or maybe because as the title says, the
recordings were made in Clarksdale, just a few stone’s throws from the great
river. That’s as maybe. Both albums are worth your time.
Mark, who plays harmonica and slide
and is the lead vocalist, is one of the two founders of the Sons of the
Delta, the other being multi-styled guitarist Rick Edwards The band is
completed with bassist Adrian Deane and drummer Martin Fitzgibbon.
In "Made in Mississippi" there’s more than a touch of humor, for instance on the
curiously named “eBay Blues”. “When I came home early last Monday, she was
standing in the hall. With twenty seven suitcases stacked up against the wall”.
When on Friday “I met my buddies later, and they were looking rather fine.
Suddenly I realised that all the clothes they wore were mine”. You can guess
what had happened - eBay robbery.
The 10 minute “Cryin’ Down in
Clarksdale” is without doubt the most laid back song on this album. Described
as a Muddy Waters style song, the Sons are joined for this number by Pinetop
Perkins, the legendary blues pianist who turns 94 “years young” this month and
who is celebrating on US Independence Day with a gig at the Waterfront Blues
Festival in Portland Oregon. Happy Birthday Pinetop!
Harmonica buffs won’t be disappointed.
Try the lovely understated harp from Mark on “Train Roll”. There are vamps and
bends here to soothe the soul as the train rolls on, with the locomotion
provided by a very sweet acoustic guitar from Rick. "Made in Mississippi is available from Rawtone Records http://www.rawtonerecords.co.uk
As you might expect Clarksdale, Mississippi,
is steeped in the Blues. You can find out a lot about the area’s deep blues
history at the Delta Blues Museum website http://www.deltabluesmuseum.org.
Here you can read about Blues
personalities including John Lee Hooker, Son House, Charley Patton, Howlin’
Wolf and Muddy Waters, all of whom had extensive associations with the town in
their respective eras. And there’s a real audio treat on the Museum’s website
for those who like the early blues. Called the “Uncensored History of the
Blues” it’s a 27 part series from Blues raconteur Mike Rugel with more episodes
in the offing. You’ll love the great treatment of the classic and un-sanitised
themes like “Drinking Canned Heat and Jake” and “Cocaine” as well as historical
accounts through the Blues of the Great War and the Mississippi Flood of 1927.
But Clarksdale isn’t just about its
illustrious blues past. For a great account of the contemporary city why don’t
you pay a visit to the Sons of the Delta web-site http://www.sonsofthedelta.co.uk/
where the story of their travels to Clarksdale, their gigs and recording
sessions and the people in the modern day blues scene there are described with
a great deal of affection. It’s a great read.
We’ve said a lot about “Made in
Mississippi” but don’t pass by the first Sons of the Delta CD “One for the
Road”. This is a more modernistic offering in terms of themes chosen. Try
“Velcro Hold” and “Global Conspiracy Blues”. There’s some great harp on “I want
you to stay”. The traditional song “I Asked Her For Water - (she gave me
gasoline)” has some great falsetto vocals on it. Most of the songs on the album
are originals, rounded off by live renderings of all time favorites - John Lee
Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun”, Muddy Waters’ “Feel Like Going Home” and Elmore
Jame’s “I’m Going Out”. Follow the link from the band’s site to buy this CD
from BluesMatters.
Mark is currently touring England with the Sons of the Delta but says he’s planning on coming back to Brisbane as soon as he can. We’re looking forward to that.
Mike Freeman