Living Blues digs the new sounds GONE DOWN in Holly Springs today. If you can’t get over to The Hut in Holly Springs anytime soon, you can get yourself a copy of this TOO HOT TO HOLD live recording, and GET DOWN anytime.
Live From The Hut with Robert Kimbrough Sr. Blues Connection
ROBERT KIMBROUGH, SR. BLUESCONNECTION
Live from the Hut
Go Ape Records – GACD 001
Robert Kimbrough, Sr. Has been a busy man lately. Since last year, the son of the late Junior Kimbrough has released two solo albums (Willey Woot and What I’m Gon’ Do? Where I’m Gon’ Go From Here?) And in May 2017 debuted his Kimbrough Cotton Patch Blues Festival in Holly Springs. The primary location for the festival was the Hut, a cinder block building that has served as an area juke joint in recent years. Kimbrough’s latest album, Live from the Hut, captures a night of live music at this venue, offering a glimpse of the modern north Mississippi blues scene.
Backed by his BluesConnection band— guitarist James “G-Cutter” Hall, bassist and drummer Artumus LeSueur and drummer Jason Wilburn—Kimbrough is also joined by David, Kinney and Cameron Kimbrough, along with Duwayne Burnside, Joyce Shewolfe Jones and guitarist Will Bart. Throughout the evening, they mix originals in with Junior Kimbrough covers (including a gnarly version of You Better Run, splattered with wicked sounding guitar licks). The funky That’s Alright with Me and slinky, insistent Don’t Leave Me, both by David Kimbrough, are perfect for the dance floor. Robert Kimbrough’s Poor Boy, an extended, moody jam, is haunting. With vocals eerily evocative of his father, Burnside unleashes furious, Hendrix-esque fretwork on R.L.’s Jumper on the Line, and offers a laid-back take of Robert Johnson’s Dust My Broom as well.
The recording unfortunately suffers from a compressed, dull sound quality that obscures the vocals at times; this may be a result of the acoustics inside this particular space. Yet the energy and prowess of these performers can’t be denied. Live from the Hut is an enticing sample of the vibrant blues happening in this part of the world today, and makes this listener want to hear it in person.
—Melanie Young