Page 49 - BiTS_05_MAY_2024_Neat

We carry on in the repetitive hill country vein with ‘Juke Joint’ and ‘Closer’, with Williams’ soulful

harmonica on ‘Smile’ and ‘Thank You’ adding a bit of welcome variety. ‘Love You Music’ has a
real African lilt with some powerful drumming, ‘Toll on They Life’ features Cedric on baritone
guitar and ‘You Got to Move’ is a sensitive take on the old Fred McDowell song with slide guitar
and harmonica.

From the second ‘Strong’ started I was blown away – what a beautiful piece of work with Cedric’s
delicate vocals and baritone guitar counterpointed by Luther’s melodic slide guitar. ‘Funky’
does what it says on the tin and we bow out with another of gramps’ songs the driving ‘Poor

Black Mattie’. I’m not the biggest fan of hill country blues but I’ve got to say that with his heritage
Cedric does it better than most.

The album also features great production by Luther who lets the attention focus on Cedric with

the other musicians adding just enough instrumental variety without swamping him, it may be
raw and ‘unpolished’ but that just adds to the authenticity and directness of the music.
Graham Harrison

John Primer & Bob Corritore—Crawlin’ Kingsnake—

Southwest Musical ASIN:B0CSYZ3ZN6

Bob Corritore puts out so many records that I sometimes wonder
if it’s worth listening to his latest one but from the beginning of
the opening track here ‘Take a Message’ I was drawn in by John

Primer’s lead guitar playing. Bob and John are both emigrees
from Chicago and what they serve up here is classic ensemble
Chicago blues in the style of Muddy Waters - listen to them rip

through classic blues like the title track and Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Down
in the Bottom’. As well as John’s vocals and guitar and Bob’s
harmonica the rest of the band are Jimi Primetime Smith (guitar), Anthony Geraci (piano), Bob

Stroger (bass) and Wes Starr (drums).

‘Chains and Things’ is a slow blues by BB King, the jumping ‘Stuff You Gotta Watch’ (with Willie
shouting out the responses) and ‘Rosalee Blues’ are both classics from John’s old boss Muddy

Waters, as is the closing ‘Feel Like Going Home’. As usual on Bob’s records the production by
him, Clarke Rigsby and John Wroble is first class and the playing by all the band is excellent –
not flashy or indulgent but fully in support of the front two, with Geraci’s piano playing spot on

as always and the rhythm section nailing down the beat and swinging. However, much as I love
Muddy and Chicago blues I can’t help but thinking that we’ve heard all this before, I’d like to
hear Bob try something different – ‘You’re the One’ here was funky and a nice change from the
other songs and I also enjoyed Bob’s recent collaboration with Valerie June and I’d like to see

him doing more in that vein.
Graham Harrison