Customer Reviews

Me My Guitar and the Blues

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chris Thomas King is a very talented musician who has put out some very good albums in the past. His latest "Me, My Guitar and the Blues," is not strictly blues, and blues purists would not be happy. The absence of authentic drums and a player really takes away from what this album could have been. King has put many different modern elements in this album that take the raw feeling out of this album. Infact, during "Born Under a Bad Sign," King raps a verse and on "Cain" he raps nearly the entire song. The songs are good, very catchy. The drum kit could have been left behind I think though. There is a very modern day R&B feel to this album. I could swear I have heard the title track on MTV's jams before, it is a beautiful song none-the-less.

Chris Thomas King is an interesting bluesman: In his music he combines hip-hop, rock, blues and R&B. His is a very honest kind of music: Although he is very familiar with the essentials of the blues ( a very nice reinterpretation of Robert Johnson is in the album ),King doesn't stick to the forms and customs of past decades and enriches his music with many other elements from different kinds. "Cain" is the best example for such fusion. But what I find King most successful in is blues ballads: Take my word and listen to "Stay Just As You Are" and "Me, My Guitar & the Blues". You'll hear a new kind of blues; one that doesn't sound like the golden oldies but is fresh and promising, one that will make you admit that the blues is not dead.

I immediately bought Me, My Guitar and the Blues because Chris Thomas King's previous cd Red Mud was so good. I was expecting great things from the son of blues man Tabby Thomas. King switched labels with this albums and appears to be experimenting with sounds and styles with this cd.

Chris Thomas King starts with a haunting minor key blues song called Why Blues. In this song he uses some scratching techniques. He includes a couple of soul inspired songs - Stay Just as You are and You are My Heaven. These are not to my taste. He also has a rap styled song called Cain. His straight up blues are excellent. Like Father, like Son, Gambling woman, Bourban Street Blues and Stones in My Passway are excellent.

I applaud King for experimenting with sounds and hope he finds a groove that is comfortable for both himself and blues fans.

Despite the cover photograph, this is not a traditional blues album in the style the artist played as Tommy Johnson in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" If that's what you want, get a copy of the Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson and go dig "Terraplane Blues." This album is firmly grounded in the blues, but it uses that erstwhile genre as a jumping-off point to build on. Even the two classic covers on this album, Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign" and Robert Johnson's "Stones in My Passway," are tricked out in King's signature style that combines pretty much every form of music favored by African Americans today.

Some songs, like the title track and "Why Blues," are very traditional, with only a little instrumentation breaking that up. Others, like "Cain" and "Gambling Woman," bring in influences from hip-hop, rock, Afro-Caribbean stylings, and even zydeco, if you know what to listen for. Not everyone will like this hybrid music. Some people will even distinctly dislike it. For those willing to experiment with musical pairings, however, and those with an eclectic musical taste, this album will be a distinctly rewarding listen.

Highly recommended: the jewel of my blues collection.

...i loved his role in "o, brother where art thou?" and that is what prompted me to pick up this disc, the brother has skills...he just didnt showcase them here in a proper fashion.
his blues joints on this are tight...and although i love me some hip-hop(and his raps aint all the way bad) it takes away from what i was expecting. he has another cd based on his "o, brother..." character which is probably more of what i want to hear; i will be gettin that cd soon.
this isnt a bad cd, just not what i was expecting...hard to be up for some serious blues and then not get it; that's a true heartache!

Great reviews already, but I'll bump this three-and-a-half-star CD up to four. When CTK sings plain old blues, he's great to listen to. On this CD, he does a bunch of that but mixes in some other syles, as well, sometimes not for the better. Solid blues titles: "Superstitious Blues," "Born Under a Bad Sign," the title track, and "Stones in My Passway." He throws in a little rap on "Cain" and "Born Under a Bad Sign," and it works on both tracks. He throws in a little straight pop on "Stay Just As You Are" and "You are My Heaven," and I don't think it works. He doesn't have the voice to sing a pop love song. He does have the voice to sing the blues, which he primarily does. He found a great voice in O Brother, Where Art Thou, with his Tommy Johnson character (and ensuing CD) and on his previous CD, Red Mud. This CD is a little confusing, mixing his blues chops with some other styles. I admire his ambition and his desire for variety (that's why he gets four stars). As consumers, however, we don't want variety. Find a voice and stick with it!!

Well, I've heard alot of talk about King not having enough "blues" in his blues; but, I absolutely LOVE the CD! I think variety in expression is fabulous and one should be willing to do what others won't do (besides, all the music he plays is really born from the blues anyway). I like the fact that you're not quite sure what the next song is going to be like: fast, soft, bluesy or rockin'. I especially like the guitars on "Born under a bad sign." He's diverse, he's cool, he's intelligent and he makes great "road-trip" and "burnin'-candles" music. Play on, man...

This is a good CD by one of my favorite NEW Bluesman Chris Thomas King. He was really good in O Brother Where Art Thou too. His music is different by bonding a bit of hip-hop techno to an old blues melody. He has made a niche for himself in a world of blues music by fusing genres together. Try him out... he has several really good CD's out. Buy on Amazon and save money....I did.

EXCELLENT LOUISIANA BLUES!!! Chris Thomas King does an excellent job playing his guitar and singing the "Blues" in this CD. It consists of 11 great songs. Chris is from Louisiana, his father had (or maybe still does) a juke joint, where Chris used to perform, according to the "Down from the Mountain" DVD documentary and concert (From the O Brother Movie & Soundtrack). Also, according to this DVD, Chris states that it was open all night, and his father kept him playing all night. He said, it was hard to find time for "breaks". Anyway, that hard work payed off, and Chris is an excellent "modern" bluesman!!!

Chris played Tommy Johnson in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou". He's a very good actor as well as an entertaniner. He's performs and talks in the DVD "Down From the Mountain". The concert portion was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

This Cd consists of the following songs:
1. Why Blues
2. Like Father, Like Son.
3. Superstitious Blues
4. Cain
5. Stay Just As You Are
6. Born Under a Bad Sign
7. Gambling Woman
8. Me, My Guitar, and the Blues
9. Bourbon Street Blues
10.Stones in my Passway (this is a Robert Johnson classic)
11.You are my Heaven.

Chris is an outstanding blues musician from my home state of Louisiana. This is a great album cd, the music is great, Chris performs very well.
If you like Chris, the Blues, the Songs in the "O Brother" movie and soundtrack and concert/documentary dvd, you'll really enjoy this one, and therefore, I highly recommend it!!! Thanks, and may God Bless!!!