God Knows I Tried
This posthumous release from the Mississippi hill-country guitarist is a mixed bag, with recording dates ranging from 1992 to early 1997. For all that, it's a solid collection, an eight-track testimonial to Junior Kimbrough's distinctive sound. From the full, haunting sound of both guitar and vocals on the opening "You're Gonna Find Your Mistake," to the rhythmic subtlety of "How Do You Feel" that's very reminiscent of early country blues, to the steady groove of "I Cried Last Night,"God Knows I Triedshowcases Kimbrough's unusual style to good advantage. The isolation of Kimbrough and his Mississippi compatriots produced a sound quite unlike any other regional style; distinct from the Chicago style and even from Delta blues, what one hears here is music that's almost trance-inducing without becoming monotonous, music that seems tailored for live playing and hearkens to the days when that was mainly how one heard it. The variations in sound on this CD suggest that they weren't originally recorded with the intent of putting them all on the same album, but the quality of Kimbrough's performance more than overrides such minor quibbles. --Genevieve Williams