Customer Reviews

Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul: Old Highway 61 Revisited

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I haven't reviewed an album here in ages, but was moved to do so after hearing Maria Muldaur's wonderful new album, Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul.

Simply enough, this is one of the best albums in any genre that I've heard in ages. The album pays tribute to some of Maria's blues heroines of the 1920s and 1930s, but the music itself sounds incredibly fresh (not dated or forced) and the lyrics have a great deal of timeless/contemporary resonance. All of the tracks shine for different reasons, but her duet with Taj Mahal on Ain't What You Used To Have is a real showstopper, with the combination of its very funny lyrics and their soulful, poignant vocals. Throughout the album, the expressiveness of Maria's vocals will absolutely take your breath away, and the instrumental backing and production on each track is top-notch.

My very highest recommendations for this one. (Just hurry up and buy it already!) :)

In this day when the blues has been largely forgotten or, when remembered, is remembered only as something that was played by skinny little english guys with really loud guitars, this CD is truly a gift. The songs, the playing, the singing are timeless, fresh, comforting, charming--in a word, wonderful. The songs reach deep into american root music, but are played and sung as naturally and enthusiastically as if they were written yesterday. The interplay, in particular, between Muldaur's voice and Del Rey's guitar on songs like I Am Sailin' is truly amazing. It's great driving music, it's great beach music, it's great music to play at your next cocktail party. It lifts the spirits in a very special and genuine way. If you want to hear some real music, played and sung about as well as anyone has ever played and sung it, you need to buy this CD.

I'm surprised that no one has reviewed this album yet. Put simply, if you liked Maria's "Richland Woman Blues," you'll like this one as well. The new album's material comes from many of the same sources (e.g., Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith), and Maria is joined by many of her same friends (e.g., Taj Mahal, Alvin Youngblood Hart) as on the earlier album. "Richland Woman Blues" was, in my opinion, one of Maria's very best efforts, and "Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul" is right up there with it. I probably prefer this new album ever so slightly, but that's just a matter of taste -- they really are cut from the same fine cloth.

I have often noted that when white women cover blues songs done by the old classic black singers like Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton and the like some undefined ingredient is missing. Call it "soul" or the "miseries" or whatever you like but somehow the depths of a song are generally not reached. Not so here, as Maria Muldaur presents the second of an anticipated three albums covering some great classics of old time barrel house blues. (The first album was "Richland Woman's Blues", taking the title from a song by Mississippi John Hurt so you know Maria is reaching for the blues roots, no question). Bessie Smith's "Empty Bed Blues" sticks out as do her duos with the legendary Taj Mahal. As Maria points out in her liner notes some of these songs here are ones that she wanted to do earlier in her career but was either talked out or could not do justice to then. But now Maria knows she has paid her dues, I know she has paid her dues, and you will too. Listen.

Muldaur keeps making blues albums and they are all good, but this is certainly one of the her better efforts. I was never a blues fan until I heard Maria belt them out. She knows how to do it and I would say this is blues for people who don't like blues. Her course voice is ideal for this kind of music and the accompanying band and instruments in all her albums (including this one) is outstanding. The duets are excellent too; she knows the right way to sing a duet. In short, it is just hard to find anything wrong with this album. A meaty 12 tracks with one song lasting over 6 minutes.

Whether you are new to Maria Muldaur or a long-time fan, you need to add this album to your collection.