Disc 1
|
| Song Title | Sample |
| 1. Fife & Drum Intro ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends |  |
| 2. Lay My Burden Down ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 3. Nobody's Fault But Mine ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 4. Old Time Religion ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 5. Saints Go Marching In ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 6. Little Sally Walker ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 7. I Shall Not Be Moved ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 8. This Little Light Of Mine ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 9. Motherless Children ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | | Disc 2
|
| Song Title | Sample |
| 1. God Is Good To Me ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 2. Treat Me Right ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 3. Runaway Soul ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 4. I'm Going Home ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 5. Swing Low ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
| 6. Porch Logic - (remix) ~ Jessie Mae Hemphill & Friends | |
|
| Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. | | Audio Remixer: DJ Logic. | | Liner Note Author: Jimbo "Hambone" Mathus. | | Recording information: Blue Dot Studio, Brooklyn, NY; Sherman Cooper's Farm, Como, MS. | | Jessie Mae Hemphill suffered a stroke years ago and can no longer play guitar. That doesn't mean she can't gather up some of her friends and fellow musicians for one blues-based boogie tune after another. This two-disc set, which was also released in conjunction with a DVD, begins with the marching drums of "Fife & Drum Intro" that is part African tribal rhythm and part Scottish marching percussion. Her voice still has power, though, even when telling various stories with an inviting, down-home manner. "We're all here and God blessed us all to see another pretty beautiful day," she says to open up "Lay My Boogie Down." The low and slow-building tempo has Hemphill giving it her all despite not having the power in her voice she once did. It's the soul in the performance that far outweighs any rasp or weakness, backed by harmonica, drums and slide guitar. This wholesome style is what listeners should expect throughout on the deliberate, toe-tapping blues sway of "Nobody's Fault but Mine," and the ensuing "Old Time Religion" as Hemphill gives a hearty chuckle before it. Recorded in a barn, the party atmosphere is quite audible on the gospel-tinged "Saints Go Marching In," with its subtle bassline, backing vocals and handclaps. Perhaps the highlight of disc one is the percussion-heavy "Little Sally Walker." The slower, almost dirge-like "I Shall Not Be Moved" is also quite poignant despite Hemphill sounding out of harmony with the music at times. One good boogie though is the pleasing "This Little Light of Mine." Disc two has some longer songs including "God Is Good to Me" and the marathon "Treat Me Right," both of which Hemphill finds her footing in early with great results. Almost as good is Ruthie Foster's performance on "Runaway Soul." But the highlight is the toe-tapping Dylanesque "I'm Going Home" that ambles along nicely. ~ Jason MacNeil |
Producer: DJ Logic; Tyler Austin |
|
| Artist Overview |
| Boasting a musical family which included grandfather Sid Hemphill and aunt Rosa Lee Hill, the traditionalist Mississippi blueswoman Jesse Mae Hemphill specialized in a folk-derived, non-commercial blues indigenous to her region, including that of the fife-and-drum bands which actually predate the blues early in the 20th century. Hemphill's own music is characterized by the use of droning chords and self-accompanied rhythm provided by beating her foot on a tambourine. Her first solo album, 1981's SHE-WOLF, was actually first released in France but she eventually garnered several W.C. Handy awards for Best Traditional Artist all through the '80s. In 1993, a stroke necessitated her laying down her guitar but she continued to sing and beat on the tambourine till her death in 2006. |
|
| Compilation Appearances |
|
| Technical Info |
| Release Date : 02/24/2004 | | Original Release Date : 2004 | | Catalog ID : 1003 | | Label : 219 Records | | Number of Discs : 2 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00829757577821 |
|
|
|
|
CD
