Sanctuary

Charlie Musselwhite | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 6, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Real World
• ASIN: B0001HAI7M
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,392 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Homeless Child

2. My Road Lies In Darkness

3. Burn Down The Cornfield

4. Trains To Nowhere

5. Shootin For The Moon

6. Shadow Peopl

7. Snake Song

8. The Neighborhood

9. Alicia

10. Sanctuary

11. I Had Trouble

12. Route 19

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plenty of Mussel, May 4, 2004

By 

mb (Memphis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sanctuary (Audio CD)

On the Internet you'll find Charlie Musselwhite's Alligator Records bio, his VH1 bio. And his Blind Pig Records bio and many others, so well-traveled is this blues icon

And it seems as if this master of the blues harp has been around as long as harmonicas. He adds to his legend with each album and guest appearance and here's his latest - Sanctuary (Real World)

I locked into it on the 2nd listen and it's a special recording. The songs are from great writers. Randy Newman's "Burn Down the Cornfield", Townes Van Zandt's "Snake Song" and Sonny Landreth's "Shootin' For the Moon are here. There are also songs written by Musselwhite, Ben Harper (the album's best cut, "Homeless Child"), a song by the album's guitarist Charlie Sexton and an interesting version of the old Savoy Brown song "Train to Nowhere" was what initially got my attention.

It's tempting to automatically accept any effort from Charlie Musselwhite as exceptional. But his Sanctuary is quite an album, and his vocals and harp playing are strong and clear.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Haunted Shadow People of the Blues!!, October 13, 2004

By 

chris meesey Food Czar (The Colony, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sanctuary (Audio CD)

Listen to this album once. No, don't form any judgements yet, just listen. And then listen again. And again. See if this haunted, evocative world of midnight blues doesn't stick in your craw somewhere. That's the effect of veteran Chicago/Mississippi/Memphis harp player Charlie Musslewhite's latest effort, Sanctuary, will have on you. There are some first rate individual songs here, especially "Homeless Child," "My Road Lies in Darkness," and a fabulous cover of the Savoy Brown classic "Train to Nowhere," featuring the Blind Boys of Alabama, but mostly, the whole effort is greater than the sum of the parts. Musslewhite has the perfect voice for 3AM reflections with a glass of booze (or whatever), and Charlie Sexton's ringing guitar parts are first-class all the way. Great vocal tracks, but also incredible instrumentals, such as "Shadow People," "Alicia," and the harmonica-fest that is "Route 19". The album's total effect is at once troubling and eerily comforting, as Musslewhite clearly implies that the blues can be a sanctuary from problems, as well as a way to confront them. Purchase Sanctuary right away, and see if the shadow people don't pay you a visit some morning at 3AM.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars like a movie without a screen, April 21, 2004

By 

Joel (LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sanctuary (Audio CD)

I have to say that I experienced "Sanctuary" rather than just listened to it. I am a huge fan of Charlie and I read reviews of the CD before I purchased it. The excellent reviews gave me high hopes and could have set me up for disappointment, but the following attests to how much I enjoy the experience of "Sanctuary."

The CD has 12 tunes that work together like 12 scenes in a drama. While each tune tells its own story, after listening to the CD in its entirety, you don't feel much different than you do at the end of a movie that tells a story about a person or a family and the ups and downs of their lives. So, yes, "Sanctuary" is a CD that you can play from start to finish without skipping a tune.

To blues fans and musicians, Charlie is an icon. On this CD he beautifully demonstrates the power and flexibility of the harmonica. On some tunes, the harp sounds like a traditional harmonica and on others, Charlie makes it sound like a violin or cello. When you add in Charlie's singing, you really connect with the feelings of "Sanctuary."

The most interesting thing to me about this CD is that experiencing it is a perfect example of the meaning of the second definition of the word sanctuary as found in Merriam Webster's online dictionary: a place of refuge and protection.