Customer Reviews

Somebody Told the Truth

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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As a rule John Cephas and Phil Wiggins aren't dark-night-of-the-soul bluesmen, or even bluesmen in the strict sense. Which is to say that other kinds of traditional Southern genres also grace their repertoire, including ballads (e.g., "Darling Cora," rarely covered by African-American performers) and gospel (Wiggins's touching original "Forgiveness"). "Reno Factory," first recorded on a Flying Fish album in the 1980s, puts rarely heard lyrics to the often-heard, Reconstruction-era folk song known variously as "Reuben's Train," "900 Miles," and more.

The fun these guys are having through it all is palpable, and it's infectious. This is African-American roots music at its most extroverted and celebratory. I have no doubt that Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, two giants of Piedmont music and Cephas and Wiggins's most direct inspiration, would have loved it. The tradition, it is clear, remains in good hands.

This is excellent modern acoustic blues, and the issue of authenticity doesn't enter the picture at all. Upbeat, fun, well-played and (the boon of many modern blues) with good lyrics as well.

However, I must stress that, despite what several reviewers have said here and on C&W's other albums, this is most definately NOT Delta blues. The performers are not from the Delta nor do they immitate its style. There is a Robert Johnson on this set but it's performed very much in the Piedmont style.

These guys are fantastic, and this recording does a great job of capturing their partnership. Every track on this CD is strong, and it's a good one to start with if you don't own any of their other material. You can't go wrong buying this CD.

In today's overproduced, overhyped world of music, it is refreshing to hear two really talented guys play acoustically. I love the combination of old chestnuts like "Stack and the Devil," "Railroad Bill," "Last Fair Deal," and "Darling Cora" combined with new, refreshing stuff like "Pimp in the Pink Suit" and "Forgiveness." This is great roots music that doesn't try to hard for that studio sound, but at the same time shows some excellent musicianship. The great ones always make it look so easy...

if you like piedmont blues then you love this duo~!!! they are clever & charming in their delivery of old classics as well as marvelous originals... each man is a wonderful singer... john cephas on guitar is just heartwarming & phil wiggins has a fantastic unique harmonica voice... often (& rightly so~!) paired with sonny terry & brownie mcGee on the musical spectrum... keeping it real, east coast & appalachian country blues... two of the finest & their chemistry is palpable

Cephas & Wiggins speak to me where I live. I don't think they could put out a bad album if they tried! My two favorite songs on this album are STACK & THE DEVIL AND RAILROAD BILL. You can't ever go wrong by buying their music.

These two are truly great Bluesmen. More power to them!

I bought this as my first Cephas & Wiggins disc and it was definitely worth it and I'll try others. The is stripped-down, raw delta blues played in a modern studio and it sounds as good as you would expect. It's a happy collection of songs, good for the soul but light enough that it's not distracting if you need to get some work done while it plays in the background, and not annoying at all if you leave it repeating all day.