Barack Rocks The (White) House

While watching the celebration unfold in Grant Park last month on television, in which President–elect Barack Obama celebrated his victory with some 240,000 jubilant supporters, I felt as though I was watching another type of history in the making. Racial stereotypes were being shattered left and right as the major networks and cable channels sent reporters throughout the African-American community for reaction to this historic event. Enthusiastic Obama supporters were being interviewed in churches, barbershops, colleges, restaurants, and on the street. It was a welcome glimpse into black life rarely seen in the media (where the predominant images we are fed on nightly news and police-reality shows portray African Americans – and Latinos – as criminals) and one that may signal significant change in people’s perception of the world.

I think an Obama presidency has the power to alter perception of the blues, too, by focusing on what is current in the African-American blues world, and perhaps shattering the persistent stereotype of the old, broke-down, and illiterate blues musician. Singer Katherine Davis (pictured with Obama and her late husband, Dr. Caleb Dube, at a senate fundraiser in 2003 at Rosa’s Lounge) confirmed Obama is a blues fan (according to a You Tube clip and a Rolling Stone interview, the President-elect has “Wang Dang Doodle” (the London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions version) on his iPod). Like Bill Clinton before him, Obama will most likely be a “rock ‘n’ roll” president. As well as embracing the music of Bruce Springsteen, Obama is a devoted Stevie Wonder fan. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wonder played at the inaugural. If Obama chooses to represent Chicago musically, Buddy Guy, whose song “Skin Deep” is especially timely, would be the perfect choice in my estimation

NEW RELEASES – REVIEWAPALOOZA NO. 2: Back To The River (Verve) finds vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Susan Tedeschi returning to the bluesy roots she briefly abandoned for her soul-drenched 2005’s Hope And Desire. Tedeschi mixes it up with some funk on the original “Butterfly” and Alan Toussaint’s “Break In The Road.” Guests include Tedeschi’s guitar-playing husband Derek Trucks, guitarist Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, and Doyle Bramhall II . . . Chicago’s independent label Earwig released four new CDs in June. First up is Red Top, a rockin’, straightahead blues blazer by guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Liz Mandeville, who proves herself an ironic humorist with songs like “Scratch The Kitty” and the funky “My Baby Is Her Baby Too.” Venerable Chicago sax man Eddie Shaw guests on the slow ballad “Hold Me” and the booty shakin’ “Rockin’ All Night” . . . The Earwig keeps coming with vocalist/guitarist Chris James and bassist Patrick Rynn‘s Stop And Think About It, a rollicking ode to post-war Chicago blues. Guests include drummers Sam Lay and Willie Hayes and pianist David Maxwell . . . Earwig’s third new release is Ice Storm by Scott Ellison, a prolific songwriter who enjoyed a stint in the 1980s playing rhythm guitar for Gatemouth Brown and other well-known bandleaders. Ellison’s mix of contemporary and post-war blues has some nice moments guitar wise, but ultimately Ice Storm comes off as clichéd . . . I probably shouldn’t have listened to the four Earwig releases during one sitting. By the time I got to Daylight At Midnight by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Travis Haddix, I wanted to scream, “This is 2008, people!” With the exception of Mandeville, it’s as though I was listening to one overlong record. In fairness to Haddix, however, Daylight At Midnight includes some Bobby Bland- and B.B. King-inspired Southern soul with tunes such as “Who Could I Be,” and the title track . . . Blues/rock/pop heartthrob John Mayer released the two-disc Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles (Columbia). Disc One includes a folk-based acoustic set, and a Hendrix-inspired trio set. Disc Two is a band set, featuring Mayer’s distinctive blend of pop, rock, and blues. Mayer may not ascend to the blues throne anytime soon, but his musical sensibilities place him in the trailblazing category, reworking the old to make it new . . . Get On Board (Telarc) is the latest release from singer-songwriter and self-proclaimed troubadour Eric Bibb. Get On Board is another timely release that finds Bibb searching for spiritual unity through music. The Telarc Web site quotes Bibb saying this about Get On Board’s message: “What I’m trying to convey with this record is a very simple but very direct message. I want people to get onboard, not only with me as an artist, but with the spirit of what drives this record – the spirit of unity.” Bibb mines the sprit with a rich blend of blues, folk, gospel, and soul. Bonnie Raitt adds heartfelt and haunting slide guitar to the gospel track, “If Our Hearts Ain’t In It,” and Texan Ruthie Foster duets on the “The Conversation.”

REISSUES: Sleepy John Estes: On 80 Highway (Delmark) is the latest gem dug from Delmark’s vaults. Harmonica player Hammie Nixon accompanies Estes on this vintage recording.

– Beverly Zeldin-Palmer

Category: Columns, Monthly, Sweet Home