Corey Harris – Greens From The Garden

Another amazing Blues addition to my collection thanks to The Rough Guide To The Blues. Corey Harris puts himself one step ahead of the pack with Greens From The Garden, a modern interpretation of his much beloved Blues paving the way for future Blues revivalists to follow. It would however be too narrow to refer to Corey Harris as just a Blues revivalist even through his music makes no illusions as to where his roots lay.

On Greens From The Garden he is more experimental than before, comfortably adopting different musical persona’s if you will, sounding in your face convincing at every turn he takes. As if in a former life he has played the roughest juke joints, sat on the meanest street corners, walked and talked in the same manner, and is able to channel all that energy into an eclectic mix of Blues, Country, Funk, Mambo, Cajun, and Reggae. The music has a lively feel to it, music without smoothing the rough edges, which enables Corey Harris to step right into your living room, dirty boots and all. Whereas as some modern interpreters sometimes walk a tight rope between honest and earnest, the amicable Corey Harris is able to slide in no questions asked. However that may be, the lyrical content on several tracks is no less serious that what some of the old-timers sang about.

Opener “Basehead” with its throbbing bassline make a heavy subject such as pushing cocaine for the man to an early grave somewhat easier to digest, but make no mistake the message remains dead honest. Other highlights include the laidback “Honeysuckle”, the acoustic “Sweet Black Angel”, and the electric “Lynch Blues” but moreover there is enough to get excited about in between the interludes which are very much as the greens themselves best enjoyed mixed together.