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Though it starts off slow, the second album from singer and harmonica player Grady Champion packs a powerful punch once it gets going. Solid songwriting and a steady backing band add strength to "My Rooster Is King," "Troubled Mind" (which features some great drums-and-harp interplay), and "Let Me Be." Champion also does right by his choice of cover material, adapting and updating "Goin' Down Slow" and infusing plenty of energy into "She's Some Kind of Wonderful." Far from restricting himself to a single style, Champion handles traditional stylings ("Roberta") and soul-inflected grooves ("Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City") with equal ease. In a time when there's a dearth of young harmonica players to follow in the footsteps of the great
Sonny Boy Williamson and
Little Walter,
Payin' for My Sins shows great promise.
--Genevieve Williams