Page 55 - BiTS_04_APRIL_2026

Charlie Barath—Issaquena Getaway—Independant

Singer/harmonica player Charlie Barath is from
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but this his second album was

recorded at Clarksdale’s Soundstage in Mississippi. He’s
joined by guitarists Johnny Burgin and Andrew Sherer,

Mark Yacovone (keyboards), Mike Law (bass) and
Danny Banks (drums) who play on his twelve original

songs and two covers. ‘I Gets Around’ is a lively opener
and the following ‘The Weekend Song’ is a perky jump

blues with nice piano from Mr. Yacovone. ‘Waiting for the Queen’ is a swampy blues
with Johnny Burgin on lead guitar and Burgin, Sherer and Yacovone all take solos

on Ike Turner’s quirky instrumental ‘Cuban Getaway’ alongside Charlie’s harp. ‘I
Might Fall in Love’ is a 12-bar blues with Sherer on lead guitar and on ‘Brass Monkey’

Yacovone switches to organ with Johnny on lead guitar.

The humorous blues ‘That Wasn’t Me’ features some nice call and response between

Charlie’s harmonica and the guitar and piano, plus there’s more piano on the very
perky ‘Renee’, while ‘Can I Have This Dance’ has a Latin feel. ‘I’m Gonna Let You’ is

a tough blues with Mark Yacovone on organ and Burgin on lead guitar and with
Sherer adding a stabbing rhythm guitar and the other cover is a version of the Stanley

Turrentine instrumental ‘Sugar’ with Charlie on chromatic harmonica and Sherer
on guitar. There’s more chromatic harp on the closing jazzy ‘Honey I Got No Money’

with Shari Richards joining Charlie on vocals. Charlie has been endorsed by
harmonica players like Joe Filisko and Clarksdale resident Charlie Musselwhite but

I’m afraid that I didn’t find too much to really excite me here, although the overall
sound and feel was good, with great playing from the other soloists and also the

rhythm section featuring Danny Banks from John Nemeth’s band.

Graham Harrison

Brother John—Black Crow—Independent

Folk-blues – it is a term that has generally dropped out

of use much these days, but I do feel it applies to this
release by this duo out of Philadelphia. It certainly
applied to Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, the obvious

reference point for any guitar and harp duo; maybe a
little less to John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, but there are

similarities to both here, though there is a lot about
Brother John that is very much their own.

Try the first track, ‘Bread And Salt’ with Johnny Never playing some excellent

sanctified type slide and John Colgan-Davis adding some rural sounding harp to a