Customer Reviews

Texas Sheiks

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

About a year before Texas guitarist Stephen Bruton's recent death, he and a few other friends were recruited by Geoff Muldaur to cut a song for a planned Mississippi Sheiks tribute. The group's version of "The World Is Going Wrong" was the first song completed for that project, but they also put a few other Sheiks songs in the can at the time.

Working together proved to be so much fun that "The Texas Sheiks" (which also included Suzy Thompson, Cindy Cashdollar, Johnny Nicholas, Bruce Hughes, and guest Sheik Jim Kweskin) decided to record a full album. This CD is the result. The full track list (along with the artist who was the primary model for the Sheiks' recording) is:

1. The World Is Going Wrong (The Mississippi Sheiks, 1931)

2. All By Myself (Big Bill Broonzy & Washboard Sam, 1953 remake)

3. Poor Boy (Banjo Joe, aka Gus Cannon, 1927)

4. Fan It (Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, 1936)

5. Hard Time Killin' Floor (Skip James, 1931)

6. Sweet To Mama (The Beale Street Sheiks: Frank Stokes & Dan Sane, 1927)

7. Don't Sell It, Don't Give It Away (Oscar "Buddy" Woods, 1937)

8. Cairo (Henry Spaulding, 1929)

9. Under The Chicken Tree (Earl McDonald's Original Louisville Jug Band, 1927)

10. Please, Baby (The Mississippi Sheiks, 1931)

11. Blues In The Bottle (Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers, 1928)

12. Right Now Blues (Frank Stokes, 1929)

13. Travellin' Riverside (Robert Johnson, 1937)

14. Yellow Dog Blues (Wise String Orchestra, 1929)

Geoff Muldaur sings lead on about half of the songs. The others are split between Jim Kweskin, Johnny Nicholas, and Bruce Hughes, with an instrumental to close the album. Cindy Cashdollar's masterful touch on various kinds of slide guitars is a highlight, as is Suzy Thompson's tasteful (and tasty) fiddle playing. And Stephen Bruton is typically wonderful on a multitude of instruments. There are many styles of music represented here - blues, string bands, Western Swing, jug bands, hokum - but a common factor is that many of the originals featured a fiddle player, which lends the whole program a unity and coherence.

If you have fond memories of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, the old Elektra Blues Project anthology, the Lovin' Spoonful, Dan Hicks, Asleep at the Wheel, or practically any other roots artist, you'll probably enjoy this CD. And if you can't get enough of tongue-in-cheek celebrations of getting your ashes hauled, selling that jelly, or chickens that grow on trees, this collection of songs is certainly for you. Well-recorded, and with a hip, contemporary sensibility, there are few if any better explorations of the amazing traditional music of the 1920s and 1930s.

Notes are by Geoff Muldaur, T-Bone Burnette and Elijah Wald, and noted pop artist Ed Ruscha provided a painting for the album's cover.

Easily my favorite album of 2009, in any genre.

Muldaur does it again.In this age of so much over produced unmelodic music, Geoff Muldaur along with Jim Kweskin play real american music.

Texas Sheiks are the real thing from a Super Group. Remember the Travelin' Wilbury's? Make way for the Sheiks 5 star sound.

I picked up on this courtesy of Terry Gross radio show Fresh Air. This is like best midwestern dirt - you can eat it, like Granpappy Amos said. Etheral pickup banding. It's a steel guitar going down hill with Three Stooges beer kegs. Looking for the come back of the string band era, Bunky? - Gee this his it! Geoff Muldar in great form - I have only once seen sign of John Nicholas since he left Cambridge, but hoo-boy there he is. Cindy Cashdollar..why isnt every evening full of this yes-yes? all bunch in form with the lowdown blues sound - for a cause..to ease the burden of Stephen Bruton.. in what turned out to be his last days - but 'weep no more, mary' cause the essential element of the universe is here. And that is worth something. You should have bought this thing like five minutes ago, get it? Ponk! Splott! I swear it wont be long. Stephen left, Skip James gone, get it while you can and pass it around. And if you slurp wipe it off, right? The women in Cairo treat you nice and sweet - knock you off your feet. So get with it, k?

Previous reviewers have fleshed it out pretty good, so I'll be brief. You take THESE MUSICIANS, playing THESE songs, mix in their years of FRIENDSHIP and EXPERIENCE, and what do you get? Powerful ensemble PLAYING of the HIGHEST ORDER. Sublime and a whole lot of fun to boot. As usual, Geoff and Jim set a standard to which we all can aspire. Great stuff, just great. This is the best of what America has to offer. THANKS YOU GUYS!!!! and Gals!

Geoff's voice is miraculous at 60-plus, supporting cast also wonderful. Had the pleasure of buying this signed disc at a Muldaur-Kweskin reunion in North Vancouver, B.C., and haven't taken it off my car player since. Even for a confirmed fan of city music (jazz/elec blues), this is ear candy of the highest order. . .

This is an amazing recording by a group of excellent musicians. Whatever your musical tastes, you can hear the tasteful and assured touch of each and every one of them. Geoff Muldaur ages like Sean Connery. Jim Kweskin's voice echoes Steve Goodman. Cindy Cashdollar and my homegirl Suzy Thompson are fabulous! Oh Lordy Mama!

So glad I decided to take offer to buy this CD with the Jim Kweskin CD. If you like Geoff Muldaur, you'll love this CD. It gets better with every listen.

M. Bernstein

Recently in reviewing Maria Mulduar's latest CD, "Garden Of Joy", in which she goes back to the old Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band tradition I noted that the tide seemed to be drifting that way. And ex-husband and jug band member, Geoff, must have heard the siren call because this little treat that goes back to old time, old time music hits the spot. This thing is like a part recreation of the famous "Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music", including some from that series, like Henry Thomas'"Poor Boy".

Boy and girls, hear this thing if you want to know what music was like when you were left to your own devices and didn't have "MTV" or "YouTube" to make your selections from, especially on Saturday night. The only question left, and one that I posed in reviewing Maria's album. Jim Kweskin is still performing. Geoff Muldaur is still performing. Maria Muldaur is still performig. Everybody's got a ton of great musicians to back them up. So I will let you guess what my next question was.

If you ever wanted to try listening to a little bluegrass, this is the place to start. If you can keep your toes from tapping, they must be restrained. This album always brings a smile to my ears.