Track Listing

1. Frankie & Albert - Chirs Smither
2. Avalon, My Home Town - Bruce Cockburn
3. Angels Laid Him Away - Lucinda Williams
4. Here Am I, Oh Lord, Send Me - Alvin Youngblood Hart
5. Candy Man - Steve & Justin Earle
6. Monday Morning Blues - Peter Case & Dave Alvin
7. Sliding Delta - Ben Harper
8. Chicken - Geoff Muldaur (with Jenni & Claire Muldaur)
9. Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor - Mark Selby
10. Stagolee - Beck
11. Since I've Laid My Burden Down - Victoria Williams
12. Pay Day - Bill Morrissey
13. My Creole Belle - Taj Mahal
14. Beulah Land - Gillian Welch
15. I'm Satisfied - John Hiatt

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38284 in Music
• Published on: 2001
• Released on: 2001-06-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
No musician ever applied a gentler touch to songs of murder, sex, and salvation than Mississippi John Hurt. The country bluesman enjoyed a career revival through the folk festival boom of the early 1960s, and his influence continues to ripple, as this varied and vital tribute attests. Produced by Peter Case (who teams with Dave Alvin on "Monday Morning Blues"), the album's renewal of classic Hurt extends from the deadpan double entendres of "Candy Man" delivered by Steve Earle and son Justin to Taj Mahal's trademark lilt on "My Creole Belle" to a surprisingly straightforward "Stagolee" by Beck. Amid a roster of luminaries ranging from fingerpicking acolytes Chris Smither and Bill Morrissey to Ben Harper, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, and Gillian Welch, the most radically disarming interpretation comes from Victoria Williams. Her breathless "Since I've Laid My Burden Down" sounds like a preschooler on helium, yet somehow taps into the subconscious of the song. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

The Gentle Side of the Blues
I very much like the idea of this album. Musicians whose approach to music has been informed by the music and spirit of the great Mississipi John Hurt pay him tribute by interpreting his songs in their own style. After a couple of listenings, though, I have to say that I am a little dissapointed with the results. The problem is earnestness. Missisipi John Hurt was a sly, surprising , and funny performer. Part of his unique charm is his ability to take you off guard with a funny line, or guitar part. With a few exceptions (Victoria Williams,John Hiatt,Bill Morrissey), these covers come off as somewhat distant approximations of Hurt's brilliance. A better bet is Bill Morrissey's 1999 album "Songs of Mississipi John Hurt," or any of Hurt's own records.

Now here's someone worthy of a tribute
This album ranks as my favorite of the first half of 2001 - Peter Case should get an award for just thinking of it, let alone putting it together. The performances are - not universally (see all comments about Victoria Williams) - fantastic; I always thought that the only guy who could fingerpick like this was Mississippi John Hurt himself, but evidently others have learned how. Bruce Cockburn, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Gillian Welch and Chris Smither all have stellar cuts. Geoff Muldaur shows us that John Hurt played more than just folk blues numbers (and his daughters sound eerily like their mother). Most importantly, this album will send a lot people to the source material - which is what every record collection should have, a Mississippi John Hurt album (start with the Vanguard releases, "Today" or the - double lp - live one recorded at Oberlin College).

14 great songs for the price of 15
This CD is a stunning tribute to a great American -- with one exception. I'm not sure what strangle hold Victoria Williams has over the music reviewers in general, but she always gets great reviews even though her talent seems marginal at best. Well, there's clearly a conspiracy because she even gets great reviews for her absolute butchery of a great classic on this album. I actually stopped my CD player when I got to this song, SURE there was a technical glitch. Nope. Just bad taste, poorly excuted, a mistake. ... Buy the CD, and then use a CD-burner to make a copy all the songs except Victoria Williams -- and you'll have one of the best roots tribute albums ever produced.