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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Harp, January 3, 2001
This review is from: Brought Up the Hard Way (Audio CD)
Carey Bell has always been underrated. Were he given the credit he deserves, this man would be mentioned anywhere you hear the words "blues harp." With a brilliantly fat tone, incredible phrasing and unsurpassed chromatic playing, Carey Bell easily takes his place as one of top three harpists playing today.
Brought up the Hard Way is a very good record, collecting ten tracks from his tenure with JSP records. His stay with the lable was not the highlight of his career, but it produced some very outstanding work and this record nails all the highlights without bringing along any of the fluff. Backed by a band consisting mostly of his offspring, Carey blows with authority on a set of mostly original tracks. The harp is the highlight, particularly on the chromatic workouts "Gladys Shuffle," "85%" and the album's highlight "Second Hand Man" (vastly superior to the take JSP originally issued).
The material is very good overall, though the tracks on which Carey is backing Lefty Dizz and Louisana Red are a bit weak compared to the eight featuring Carey as the front man. Though not as potent as Carey's Alligator releases, Deep Down and Good Luck Man, this is still a very strong effort from one of the masters of blues harmonica.
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