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Live at the W.C. Handy Blues Awards, Volume 1(Tone-Cool) First Appeared at The Music Box, December 2003, Volume 10, #12 Written by John Metzger
The Blues Foundation was established in 1980 as a way to preserve the rich
heritage of the blues, and two of its highest profile venues for promoting the
genre are The Blues Hall of Fame, which was founded as a means for highlighting
past accomplishments, and the W.C. Handy Awards, which annually recognizes the
greatest recordings and artists. Much like the Grammys, the blues-oriented
ceremony includes live performances, but the difference between the two
celebrations is that those in attendance at the W.C. Handy Awards typically are
treated to music that is far more interesting and inspired. Witness the ten
tracks featured on the recently released compilation Live at the W.C. Handy
Blues Awards, Volume 1, all of which are rather remarkable. Taj Mahal and
the Phantom Blues Band’s Seňor Blues
positively percolates; Susan Tedeschi sparkles on the smoldering groove of Just Won’t Burn; and Rufus Thomas turns in a funky performance of Walking
the Dog. Still, it’s Luther Allison and his son Bernard that yield the
album’s finest tracks. Despite several issues with the recording of his vocals,
Luther unleashes a scorching rendition of Cherry Red Wine — one that is
far too good to allow technical difficulties to exclude it from this set — while
Bernard delivers a passionate take on his late father’s Bad Love. All of
this leaves little doubt that if the first volume of Live at the W.C. Handy
Blues Awards is any indication, the second installment certainly will be
worth the wait. Live at the W.C. Handy Awards, Volume 1 is available For Canadian orders, please Click Here! For UK orders, please Click Here!
Ratings 1 Star: Pitiful
Copyright © 2003 The Music Box
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