From the Dust

Rory Block

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 2005)
• Original Release Date: February 22, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B0007D4MJ0
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #90,570 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. From the Dust

2. One Way Down

3. Gate

4. David Had the Blues

5. Big As Texas

6. High Water Everywhere

7. I Be Bound

8. Stones in My Passway

9. Dry Spell Blues

10. Fargo Baby

11. Runaway Dog

12. Take a Train

13. Remember

14. Unprecedented Quiet

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On From the Dust, slide guitar virtuosa Rory Block has both feet in the blues and at least one hand on the Bible. Her artistry provides a bridge between the spiritual hymnal and the "devil's music" as which the blues has long been branded. Original material such as the title track, "The Gate," and "David Had the Blues" evoke Scripture against the deep groove of Block's propulsive guitar playing, while "Remember" represents a personal testament to the power of faith. These tracks seem to channel the inspiration of the Reverend Gary Davis, but Block also pays tribute to more secular-minded blues masters, such as Charley Patton ("High Water Everywhere"), Muddy Waters ("I Be Bound"), Robert Johnson ("Stones in My Passageway"), and Son House ("Dry Spell Blues"), matching her command of their instrumental styles with her breathy, sensual vocals. Other material ranges from the playful affection she shows her pets on "Runaway Dog" to the seedier slice of life, "Fargo Baby." Though the recording presents Block solo and acoustic, multitracking enhances some of the arrangements, while the performances frequently carry an electric charge. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Effort, February 26, 2005

By	Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

After spending twenty years with Rounder Records, Rory Block released one of the best albums of her career in 2003 with her Telarc debut LAST FAIR DEAL. And to prove that was no fluke, the 55-year-old slide guitarist has done it again with FROM THE DUST. This is a solid collection of mostly original material. The covers are Muddy Waters' "I Be Bound," Robert Johnson's "Stones In My Passway," Charley Patton's "From the Dust" and Son House's Dry Spell Blues. All told, this is a solid collection from the reigning queen of the blues. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Blues, with Attitude, July 14, 2007

By	James H. Drury "jameshughdrury-author.com" (Price, UT) - See all my reviews

Rory Block has been at this gig for a while. It shows. Meaning all that experience, all that music played, all that time on the road and in the studio, it all shows up in this album. She is so much more than a slide guitar player. So much more than "just" a blues singer. This is a singer-songwriter who knows how to get a hold of her listeners and not let go. This is a woman with a heart full, a wry and very impish sense of human as well as a sense of purpose. (Listen to "Runaway Dog" to get that humor and purpose in one song.) The gospel influences run in and out of her songs and that thread ties the package together nicely. It isn't in your face and it isn't so subtle you can't find it. It's just there, honest, and so filled with meaning you wonder why no one else has captured this essence quite like Rory. Then I realized, no one else is exactly like Rory Block and that's a very good discovery.

I am a slow learner here and didn't discover Rory Block until recently. Now I will be collecting more.