Customer Reviews

Up Close & Personal

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This disc is one of those rare blues records that provide everything one would want from blues music without the same old (and often boring) repetitions. Watermelon Slim plays from his heart and with his own singular style. If you're looking for contemporary SRV blues you might like this - especially if you like good roots music. If you like ingenuity in transfering emotions to music in an organic and unmanufactured method this album is a must. 18 tracks and not one that sounds like another simply makes economic sense. As all good blues recording have, you'll find themes of personal demons, struggles with mortality, work and women among others. But like those gems in your collection this is full of the unexpected while staying true to the concept of the 'blues.'

More often than not, I buy records for the music with little thought for the artist. It seems all these songs are autobiographical (even the covers sound as if...) and thus make the personal connection and I find myself happy to support Slim by buying the record in hopes he can continue making more. How often have you had that feeling after purchasing a record?

I had a Golden opportunity to see Slim at the BayFront Blues Fest in Duluth, MN this summer, MISSED IT, and have been kicking myself ever since. Since I couldn't see him up close and personal, I made the decision to buy his disc ("Up Close and Personal"...hmmm) based on the strength of some samplings from his website. (I'm spinning the disc as I write this.) He's a first-rate resonator player (vintage National), which in itself INSTANTLY attracted me. He's a first-rate songwriter, interjecting humor between lamentations, and a Cynical Old Bastard who's simply loaded with the mojo. I GET this guy: he IS the blues, and I'm looking forward to hearing a lot more!

For many years I've been a big fan of blues and jazz and it's been a long time since I heard an acoustic blues record so good. I was so impressed that I had to hear it again and again, especially the opening track TRUCK HOLLER #1 and the second one BLUE FREIGHTLINER and so on no missing the sensational last track TRASHY TRASHMEN. Admittedly, I am in love with electric blues, but I recommend it to
all blues lovers.

I went and saw John Lee Hooker JR. at Triple Door in Seattle last year and this was the guy that opened for him. Wow, what a great performer. And, what great lyrics. Watermelon Slim has a lot of soul and life and experience woven into his lyrics. Great, fun music to have a little whiskey and sing-a-long to!

The only thing missing is a life sentence being served for murder at Angola Prison.