Track Listing

1. Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues
2. Crow Jane
3. Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues
4. Special Rider Blues
5. Drunken Spree
6. Cherryball
7. How Long Blues
8. All Night Long
9. Cypress Grove Blues
10. Look Down the Road
11. My Gal
12. I'm So Glad

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101371 in Music
• Released on: 1991-11-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD
The tone, spirit, and feeling of Nehemiah "Skip" James's country blues evokes an aura of haunting augustness. After decades of self-willed obscurity, the Mississippian resurfaced for the 1964 Newport Folk Festival and a few recording sessions, the most invocatory of which were done for Vanguard. The songs on the marvelous Today! find a self-respecting and sensitive black American being completely true to himself, using a feyly tuned guitar and a heart-stopping high tenor to give emotional cogency to his lyrics on life in an unforgiving, merciless prewar Mississippi. Two numbers have him spiritedly playing a piano with characteristic eccentricity. -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Customer Reviews

One Of His Best
Clear, crisp modern recordings of the spooky, mysterious style of Blues Skip James developed early last century. His guitar playing is perfect. His high haunting voice floats and then holds and makes the hair on the back of your neck crawl. His piano playing is unpredictable yet concise. His unique style, which recorded earlier in his life (1930) sounded almost archaic (positively so), now sounds strangely modern due to the increased fidelity of the magnetic tape used for the recording. An unusual and original talent, Skip James was one of the best.

so glad I get it
I`ve heard recordings from early 30`s and newer recording from 60`s. But this one is the best. Really... Perfect. I guess. Those few tracks on piano... You have to listen it yourself.
Once again he proved he is the best.
U can`t describe it with words. You can do it only through music. . . .

one of the very best acoustic blues albums of all-time.
i have heard all the recorded works of skip james, and would say that this is his best album. his unique and haunting vocals, and beautifully original style of guitar picking, are presented here on his strongest set of songs. "hard times killing floor blues," "crow jane," "cypress grove," and "i'm so glad," are as good as rural blues gets. this is glorious, stunning music. stark, creative, stuff to move the soul. this is an absolute must for all blues collections.