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The band also has an obvious affiliation to Hooker-ish styled boogies, as can be heard
on ‘One Too Many’, and ‘Trouble’ is another powerhouse boogie. Sometimes though,

the band is about the small details. For example, the short bass break on ‘She Might
Be’ certainly has a Motown flavour, or the uncredited blues harp on the title track.

They show a desire to get things just right, and this album tends to do just that.

Norman Darwen

Ryan Lee Crosby—At The Blue Front—Crossnote

Highly regarded singer and guitarist Ryan Lee
Crosby discovered the deep music of Skip James in
2012. For many years, Skip’s eerie-sounding
approach had been considered a one-off, then

researchers discovered he was actually part of a
highly localised tradition based in Bentonia,
Mississippi. Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, now aged 78, is

also part of this tradition, and runs The Blue Front
Café in the town; it has been open since the 1940s
and Skip James used to play there. Jimmy himself
mentored Ryan and can be heard jamming with

him on four of the eight tracks on this album.

Ryan Lee Crosby has learned his lessons well. ‘Going Away’ finds his twelve-string
guitar and vocals accompanied by Jay Scheffler on blues harp and Grant Smith on

calabash (he appears throughout), the latter adding to the impression of the first
number being somewhat in the vein of the Bentonia musicians but also influenced
by West African “desert bluesman” Ali Farka Toure. That inspiration is not as obvious

after this opener, but it doesn’t entirely disappear either. ‘Mistreating People’ is very
much in Skip James style, both guitar and vocal-wise.

The tracks from ‘Hard Times’ onwards all feature Holmes jamming with Crosby.
There is a loose, hypnotic feel to them. Although it may not be the easiest listening

you’ve ever had, it is most definitely worth it.

Norman Darwen

Sister Suzie! And the Right Band—Honestly?—

Sister Suzie
(www.sistersuzie.net)

Singer Sister Suzie (a.k.a. Susan Clarke) is er, rather

forthright on this album. The track-listing shows
that the ten tracks are categorised into three
designations — “Drunk”, “Sad” and “Horny” — and

listening to this blues set (with a side dish of soul),
it is pretty obvious which is which.