Son's insistent guitar with it's thudding bass and articulate slide would sell his records to blues fans by itself but coupled with his mighty voice, one of the most passionate in the music, it forms a combination that is nothing but sublime. Rediscovered and feted in the 1960s as the greatest surviving Delta blues singer, Son House had made three two-part records for the Paramount label in 1930 that are considered classics of their kind. These are solo performances with the deep-voiced House brilliantly accompanying himself on guitar, using a slide to produce that special Mississippi Delta sound. The supporting cast here lives up to the standard of Son House's playing, and the songs other than those by Son House offer an insight into lesser known individuals of the Mississippi Delta blues style. All have voices rough enough to cause abrasions as they sing about the concerns of Mississippi blacks in the Twenties to a series of accompaniments that form the very sinews of the tradition. From the harmonised field hollers of Joe Calicott to the relative sophistication of the otherwise unknown Jim Thompkins there isn't a track here that isn't prime.
Son's insistent guitar with it's thudding bass and articulate slide would sell his records to blues fans by itself but coupled with his mighty voice, one of the most passionate in the music, it forms a combination that is nothing but sublime. Rediscovered and feted in the 1960s as the greatest surviving Delta blues singer, Son House had made three two-part records for the Paramount label in 1930 that are considered classics of their kind. These are solo performances with the deep-voiced House brilliantly accompanying himself on guitar, using a slide to produce that special Mississippi Delta sound. The supporting cast here lives up to the standard of Son House's playing, and the songs other than those by Son House offer an insight into lesser known individuals of the Mississippi Delta blues style. All have voices rough enough to cause abrasions as they sing about the concerns of Mississippi blacks in the Twenties to a series of accompaniments that form the very sinews of the tradition. From the harmonised field hollers of Joe Calicott to the relative sophistication of the otherwise unknown Jim Thompkins there isn't a track here that isn't prime.
