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I've seen Charlie many times over the years and he has often done one or two numbers on
guitar and you realise that he must have wanted to have made this album for many years. We
continue with a number of classic blues - Charlie Patton's 'Pea Vine Blues', Big Joe Williams'
'Crawling King Snake' and even Bobby Bland's 'Driving from Town to Town' and Charlie also
recycles one of his own songs 'My Road Lies in Darkness' from his ‘Ace of Harps’ album. We
also get a haunting version of the Stanley Brother’s bluegrass 'Rank Strangers', again trans-

formed into a blues by Mr. Musselwhite.

Charlie is an exemplary harmonica player and while he may not be the world's greatest singer
or guitarist this album does work and hangs together perfectly. with both simplicity and lots of
charm.

Graham Harrison

Seth Walker—I Hope I Know—Royal Potato ASIN
B09TFT34XX

When I first came across Seth Walker he was based in Austin,

Texas - he then relocated to New York, then New Orleans,
before moving to Nashville - this latest album sees him
moving again to Asheville in the mountains of North Carolina.
He does keep Jano Rix (of The Wood Brothers) as producer
and collaborates with Oliver Wood, Gary Nicholson and Jarrod
Dickenson on the songwriting. We begin with the song 'The
Future Ain't What It Used to Be' - a typical Seth Walker

composition with chugging, bluesy guitar and laid back vocals with Allison Russell helping on
harmonies, 'Why Don’t I Cry Anymore' is a jazzy stop time romp, while the title track is a
gorgeous modern ragtime song with Seth playing acoustic guitar and 'Remember Me' is a jazzy
ballad with breathy sax and Mr. Rix on piano.

'Satisfy My Mind' is a co-write with Oliver Wood, a loping mid-tempo number with stinging

blues guitar, 'Tennessee Blues' is a relaxed cover of the old Bobby Charles song with melodica
from Jano and 'Warm Love' is another cover this time of the Van Morrison song. The bluesy
ballad 'River' was recorded in an afternoon with Seth's road band and the final cover is a
beautiful, minimal version of Dylan's 'Buckets of Rain' with just Seth on acoustic guitar and
Scott Walker on cello and we close with Oliver Wood's 'Peace in the Valley' a melodic gospel
song. Seth seems to have moved away from straight blues as time has gone on to a more
Americana sound but his vocals and guitar playing both still have that blues edge and this
album has lots of variety and combines catchy songs and great playing in a number of roots

styles.

Graham Harrison