Customer Reviews

Songs of Mississippi John Hurt

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

 

 

You need a little courage to think you can bring something new to a musician as singular as John Hurt. Morrissey does it by careful selection of songs with an emphasis on the humor and fun in Hurt's music, a good match. Peter Keane has always sounded like he's listened to Hurt all his life and plays beautifully here.

This album is a slight departure for Morrissey with regard to the horn section. But I love it. It works. Morrissey has always been a songwriter's songwriter and remains very much respected amoung the many songwriters he has introduced to his audience. Among them is Peter Keane, an exceptional ragtime blues guitarist and songwriter/performer. Another old friend of Morrissey is the brilliant songwriter Bob Martin whose CD "The River Turns The Wheel" is truly a masterpiece with Morrissey doing backing vocals on "Stella Kerouac". Absolutely breathtaking.

Morrissey continues to add more quality writing with this CD to the body of work he has produced and unselfishly introduce many outstanding performers.

We've known for a long time Morrissey's ability to convince us with tight lyrics, surprising and powerful phrasing, and dead-on arrangements. And we heard his ability to make covers fresh in his collaboration with Greg Brown on "Friend of Mine" (Philo) But this recent album is pure genius in interpretation, pacing, and genuine homage paid to a master, Mississippi John Hurt. Joan Baez says in her autobiography, "Perhaps people don't thank the old lions enough for having given away their entire youth to a million eyes they will never see." In this album, with utter humility and grace, Morrissey thanks the old lion. He speaks for those of us who didn't know quite how to say it. The CD is simply beautiful. Thank you, Bill.

Bill Morrissey should never win prizes for his singing - but his guitar playing is way above most, and he has combined his talents to produce a wonderful tribute to Mississippi John Hurt. If you love blues (I'm guilty), this is an album you will listen to again and again. Morrissey does an excellent job of reproducing Hurt's driving, finger style guitar rhythms, and his somewhat rumbling vocals work exceptionally well with Hurt's songs.

Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful album. John Hurt's guitar playing was so amazing that his songs haven't gotten that much attention. Morrissey fixes that, by getting inside them and showing just what they have to say. Beautiful, swinging, gentle music. Long ago I saw Dave Van Ronk sing a song that asked, "did you love John Hurt, did you hear him play?" In his liner notes, Morrissey answers "no" to the second question. This disc is evidence that he would say "yes" to the first.

It seems as if John Hurt and Morrissey are cut from the same cloth. This is Morrissey's finest effort yet. Every song sounds as if was composed on the front porch with just voice and guitar. Simple but oh so effective. The best music I have heard in a long time. Thanks Bill!