Track Listing

1. Wheel Man
2. I've Got News
3. Black Water
4. Jimmy Bell
5. Newspaper Reporter
6. Drinking & Driving
7. Fast Eddie
8. Sawmill Holler
9. Truck Driving Mama
10. I Know One
11. Got Love If You Want It
12. Rattlesnake
13. Peaches
14. Judge Harsh Blues

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101366 in Music
• Brand: Dig
• Released on: 2007-04-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .17 pounds

Amazon.com
This Oklahoma City singer and slide guitarist is at the creative apex of traditional blues. He took the roundabout route to get there--fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, officiating at funerals, and working as a trucker, forklift operator, saw miller, firewood salesman, and collection agent until a near-fatal heart attack compelled him to find his calling as a bandleader in 2002. Slim's fourth album since then is even sharper than 2006's critically heralded breakthrough Watermelon Slim & the Workers. It's a devil's playground for his weathered-oak voice and Delta-fueled six-stringing, full of stories of crime ("The Wheel Man"), lust ("Peaches"), and sin ("Jimmy Bell"). For Slim, that's par for the course, but this time he's drafted Chicago blues stalwart Magic Slim for a terse, burnished solo and vocal turns on the title tune and piano great David Maxwell to make three other numbers sparkle and jump. Yet some of the most compelling songs, like the howling a cappella "Jimmy Bell" and the slide 'n' vocal turn "Judge Harsh Blues" are Watermelon Slim alone. And that's enough. His sound and his soul are packed with true, natural grit. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews

the real deal!
Watermelon Slim and his band, The Workers, are truly the real deal. These guys play blues, rock, and shuffles like they were born to do it. Not a bad song on this disc. No slick production, just a great band playing great music. In a music world of increasing wannabees and looks taking precedent over substance, this band is a breath of fresh air. True lovers of the blues will love this disc. I can't play it enough. Be sure to check out his release from last year as well.

Super Blues!
This shows that Watermelon can do it all. I love the rocking out, fast tempo songs like "Drinking and Driving", but there is also a harmonica and vocal track, and an old-fashioned holler.
I still think that the more Rock'n'Roll style songs are the greatest.
Just great. You've got to hear it!

The Wheel Man, my review from Barcelona
I very much like Watermelon Slim since I heard him in his sensational April 2005 album "Watermelon Slim & the Workers" in which he made an authentic demonstration of how to play Chicago blues with complete respect for the ways of the clasic players. It was simply magnificent. Later I listened to "Up close & Personal", another Slim's acoustic jewel (see my review March 24, 2007 ), and now I have just listened to this CD, which serves me to get confirmation that we are in front of an authentic bluesman with eminent command of both acoustic and electric styles. He's one of the most authentic and original Blues music out there. In this record you can find high level typical electric Blues like "I've got news", " I know one" or "Fast Eddie", phenomenal acoustic Blues "Jimmy Bell" or " Sawmill holler", incredible slow Blues like "Newspaper reporter". In short, great blues stuff. I only can find one shortcoming which is the rock song "Drinking & Driving", this prevents me from grant five stars to the CD, but elesewhere the record gets the quality of a number one. My evaluation is 4,5 stars. Another added value is the very great MAGIC SLIM as the lead guitar in some tunes, fantastic. I recommend it strongly