Search - Scrapper Blackwell :: Scrapper Blackwell

Pathos at Its Hilarious Finest

acnoth | Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada | 08/23/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a CD designed to emphasise the guitar playing of Scrapper Blackwell, a blues guitarist of the late 1920s and 1930s. It also showcases the piano playing of Blackwell's long-time partner, Leroy Carr. In fact, as good as Blackwell definitely is, I found that it is the piano playing of Carr that holds much of the CD together. His playing underscores Blackwell's guitar by providing a very solid bass rhythm that provides the fundamental basis for the toe-tapping style behind many of the tracks. A prime example of this is the fantastic "Barrelhouse Woman No. 2." The themes found on the CD are the normal classic blues themes, although they are definitely flavoured by a northern urban environment, as is most glaringly demonstrated by "Down South Blues," a litany of yearning for the south as seen by a transplanted southerner(Blackwell played out of Indianapolis). Another theme is alcohol. "Whiskey Man Blues" is hilarious, but at the same time the celebration of unrepentant over-consumption has gloomier overtones. Finally, for just sitting back and listening to some excellent guitar picking, Blackwell is a treat, and definitely worth the price of admission."