Every rock guitarist from Eric Clapton to Jimmy Page to Duane Allman has tried his hand at the blues, with varying degrees of success. For the most part, however, these guitar giants have lacked the "soul" that is intrinsic to the blues. Of course, these men were innovators in rock, but the blues is a different genre.
While successful rock is a mixture of technical virtuosity, sex appeal, and carefully crafted image, blues are conceived in the intimate embrace of a man and his guitar.
The music is only successful when it conveys just the right flavor of bittersweet emotion; while the rock guitar is featured as the center of a band, the blues guitar is only the means to an end, a tool or catalyst for the musician's expression.
Mississippi blues are often considered the "purest" dialect of the language of blues, as that river's shores gave birth to the music.
Originated at the turn of the century by black laborers lamenting the ups and inevitable downs of life and love, the music soon diffused throughout the country to form followings in places like Texas and Chicago.
People like Leadbelly, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters helped to turn a local genre into a source of national pride.
Although it is helpful to know something about the origins and character of the music, any new work should be evaluated on its own merits.
The new release from Jas. Mathus and His Knock-Down Society, "Songs for Rosetta," certainly harks back to the style of Mississippi blues.
Together with an assortment of session musicians, "Hambone" Mathus delivers a blend of blues, folk and bluegrass.
The album's 14 tracks are roughly evenly divided between originals and covers of songs by the likes of Leadbelly and Charlie Patton.
Titles like "Diggin' My Potatoes," "Who'll Sop My Gravy?" and "Turkey Buzzard in a Pork-Pie Hat" are indicative of Mathus' laid-back, almost tongue-in-cheek attitude towards his music.
Mathus' apparent easygoing nature helps the record to achieve a warm feeling evocative of Mississippi whiskey bars, pork sandwiches and late-night jam sessions. Sure, he's a young white tapping a genre dominated by black men, but he doesn't take himself too seriously.
What the music lacks in soul, it makes up for with good humor and, as much of the album is not straight blues but a sort of Mississippi musical stew, variety.
"I Got Mine," the lead track, is a festive, mandolin-laced romp that leads into Leadbelly's "Keep Your Hands Off." "Goin' Down the Road" and "Memphis Bound" offer a little taste of travellin' blues, while "Turkey Buzzard in a Pork-Pie Hat" features a folksy sort of storyline.
Mathus penned "Blues for Blind Melon" in memory of that band's lead singer, Shannon Hoone, who died of an overdose.Traditionals, hints of bluegrass and talkin' blues also appear.
The album is good listening, and should be appreciated by fans of blues or folk. He may not be Howlin' Wolf, but Mathus seems to have learned one of the lessons of the blues, that the best way to look at life's hard times is with a sense of humor.
