Customer Reviews

God Knows I Tried

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this album can be placed with any country down home blues music .I have watch my mother-in-law laugh,dance,drink,and play bid-whisk all nite long to this kind of music. Being from northern louisiana she has shown me the best of the blues. Listening to "I CRIED LAST NITE" reminds me of her so much, the sound of the guitar along with the moaning and pleading of Junior is definitly what she loved and grew up on. She, is also gone now but her memory of good country down home blues, Will always live on in my soul. Due to songs produce by Junior Kimbrough , I name my last daugther Kimberly. God blessed this talented man, and he named the record just right "God Knows I Tried". This one belongs in the blues hall of fame.

I spent part of a night recently in a road house in the middle of the Mississippi Delta shooting pool, drinking beer, and listening to Junior Kimbrough's "God Knows I tried" CD. The mixture was sublime.

This disc is an eclectic posthumous collection of some of Junior's classic guitar work and his completely authentic blues vocals. Even though Junior Kimbrough was not OF the Delta (he was raised in the Northern Mississippi hills) he understood what the Delta Blues are.

The first track "You're Gonna Find Your Mistake" wails. The "All Night Long" instumental is proof positive that Junior was one of the most important blues guitarists of the 20th century.

Okay, the main reason I got this was Because I had Heard the song "Tramp" before and loved it. So I figured I should just get the real thing. It is wonderfull My favorite song is "Tramp". But close Behind is the "All Night Long" (Instrumental). This track just proves that A song can still be extreamly complex, even if it is only made of one cord. The bass part on "All night Long"(instrumental) is great. Gary Burnside Manages to double Junior's guitar, Walk all over the over the neck of his bass, and still keep a solid groove going.

Junior Kimrough was a juke joint rockin' guitarist, from the Delta. He is also one of the great blues singers of our time. He tought rock-a-billy legend Charley Feathers, how to play guitar! In turn Feathers has cited him as a main influence. This cd takes performances from the early to late 90's, all finding Kimbrough in prime form creating rockin' raw jukejoint blues. His unique playing is wonderful here as well as his distictive singing. An essential blues/roots cd. If you liek rock-a-bilyl or Charlei Feather's you'll love to hear it's roots in Kimbrough!

Untainted by lavish lifestyle, this blues album is what a man that has played blues his whole life has evolved into: soulless, frustrated, disturbed, Raw. Through years of failed breakthrough attempts, Kimbrough has made this style the epiphany of blues music. As all the original blues men pay their dues with death, Kimbrough, with guitar in hand, shuts the back door as the blues slowly fades away.
His frustration and lyrics mold into an orchestra of sound that can be imitated by the stripes and black keys but can never reach the true character that has been molded though a lifetime. Kimbrough's style transcends through the blues spectrum, past purple, and into the darkest shade of black.

Ms. Hamilton. Thank you for keen insight of your review.
No matter who we are or what our upbringing may be, Junior Kimbrough's music moves all kinds of folks. This man is a testament to the blues. Maybe, for all those who have not yet suffered, heard this sound, felt the soul and the joy of the blues, we'd all live a much better world.