Songs Famed for Sorrow & Joy

Samuel James | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Northern Blues
• ASIN: B0013ISU64
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,386 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great, Young Bluesman, July 4, 2008

By 

D. B Pepper "neonx83" (Plainview, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Songs Famed for Sorrow & Joy (Audio CD)

Samuel James is a great, young Bluesman. He isn't quite at the level of Alvin Youngblood Hart and Corey Harris, the two greatest players alive today, but still has a lot to bring to the table. What he lacks in guitar-playing ability he makes for with his great story-telling quality and his voice. He is an extremely original lyricist. "Love & Mumbly Peg" and "Baby-Doll" are extremely enjoyable. James is a real throwback to the Country Bluesmen of yesteryear and is under thirty years of age, to the best of my knowledge. He can be easily contacted on MySpace. He's definitely an artist to watch; we'll be able to see him progress and become one of the true greats some day. "The Sad Ballad of Ol' Willie Chan" sounds like nothing else the Blues has ever produced. At his best, he is a mixture of Bob Dylan and Furry Lewis.

5.0 out of 5 stars Here's someone to watch for, September 12, 2009

By 

Mrs. Frisky (New York City) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Songs Famed for Sorrow & Joy (Audio CD)

The public is just starting to become acquainted with Sam James, an extraordinarily talented young blues musician who vigorously upholds the old traditions, while spinning his own stories of hard - sometimes strange - times. His music is engaging, his lyrics and the narrative he is creating intelligent, challenging and amusing. He is a peerless live performer. Hear him now; if you have the opportunity to see him in person, don't think twice.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Storytelling, August 23, 2009

By 

ClaudineInWater (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs Famed for Sorrow & Joy (Audio CD)

I've owned this CD for quite some time now having purchased it at the CD release party for it.
Mr. James is an amazing performer and a brilliant storyteller. Big Black Ben, One-Eyed Katie, and The Sad Ballad Of Ol' Willie Chan aren't just songs but almost fables, stories that make us laugh at and ponder the prejudices that lie just beneath the surface of humanity (or sometimes right on the surface).
A recording can't do him justice. See him live sometime and you'll see what I mean.