Search - Cephas & Wiggins :: Cool Down

It is convenient to describe the guitar and harmonica duo of "Bowling Green" John Cephas and Phil Wiggins as a latter-day version of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. But they are far more than that, as you'll quickly discover in their fine release Cool Down. Steeped in the Piedmont blues tradition of artists like Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Blake, their music oozes with the kind of authenticity many artists would sell their souls for. This release offers a tour de force of original songs and traditional ballads that will roll through your mind for years to come. For playful front-porch blues there's the churning rhythm of "Action Man" and the dual vocals of "Blues Will Do Your Heart Good." And for blues on the darker side, John Cephas's vocals are at their most bittersweet portraying the "Man Without a Future." The Wiggins-penned "Cool Down" is a heartrending plea against street violence and shows that the duo can effectively focus their talents on contemporary themes as well. --Ken Hohman