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John Hurt and it also has some nice organ and an understated guitar solo.

The title track is a poignant soul ballad with organ and slide guitar, ‘Truck Route Blues’ is a
country-flavoured song with harmonica, while Jimmy Reed’s ‘High and Lonesome’ is for me one
of the weaker performances. However, we then go to the Cajun blues ‘Out All Night’ one of the
strongest tracks with slide guitar, accordion and also harmonica and ‘A Losing Hand’ is another
cracker a lilting Nola ballad with fiddle and slide guitar. ‘Rosie’s Rag’ is a swirling instrumental
with piano and fiddle, ‘Jump the Line’ is a blues shuffle with harmonica and we close with ‘Shine
a Little Longer’ with electric slide guitar, swelling organ and powerful backing vocals – talk about
going out with a bang! I thought that this was a very strong debut album obviously building on
the live work that Sean has done around town but also highlighting his song writing – well worth
checking out.
Graham Harrison

Song Keepers: A Music Maker Foundation Anthology—Music
Maker

This anthology is a celebration of 30 years of the Music Maker
Foundation, whose aim is to document, preserve and support the
traditional roots music of the U.S.A.’s South East, concentrating
particularly on lesser-known artists over 55. The anthology
comprises a 143-page hardback book together with 4 CDs -
acoustic blues; electric blues; sacred songs (soul and gospel) and
“eclectic folk” – a total of 85 tracks - and the music on the CDs is
also available as mp3 downloads.

There is some superb, understated music here from these
lesser-known artists, often with great charm – check out harmonica players George Higgs’
‘Greasy Greens’ and Neal Pattman’s ‘Disco Twist’, piano players

Albert Smith’s ‘Biscuit Roller’ and Eddie Tigner’s ‘Route 66’ as well as guitarists Big Boy Henry
with ‘Walking Night and Day’ and Beverly Watkins’ ‘Back in Business’. There are also some more
well-known artists included such as Alvin Youngblood Hart, Jerry McCain, Robert Finley, Etta
Baker, Rhiannon Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops but for me it is the lesser-known
artists who steal the show. This is very interesting music with lots of variety and at a very
reasonable price, plus if you get the book/CDs the book provides pictures and details of each
artist and every track, as well as the historical context.
Graham Harrison

Nine Below Zero DenMark Zed Records

This new double CD from Nine Below Zero has 13 new tracks as
well as 13 reworked and remixed tracks from the ’Duo’ and
‘Chilled’ albums, it’s a mix of original songs and unusual takes on
songs by the likes of Marvin Gaye, Randy Newman and Bobby
Hebb. Gaye’s ‘’What’s Going On’ works well with Dennis’s soulful
voice and Mark’s plaintive harp and the old John Brim blues ‘Ice
Cream Man’ is ideal for the band.

However, ‘Spanish Harlem’, Newman’s ‘Sail Away’ and Brook
Benton’s ‘Kiddio’ - not songs you’d expect from them - also work
surprisingly well. ‘White Boys Lost in the Blues’ is a song by Sonny
Terry and Brownie McGhee that could have been written