Memphis Barbecue
This laid-back, mostly acoustic session has the vibe of friends gathered on the front porch of a shotgun shack during a hot Delta night. But the playing couldn't get much more deep and fine, especially when guitarist-singer Big Jack Johnson settles into the sweet, sad melody of hisHowlin' Wolf-inspired "Humming Blues" withKim Wilsonat his side, conjuring the ghost ofSonny Boy Williamsonwith his harmonica. OctogenarianPinetop Perkinsadds dirty pearls of roadhouse piano to that number and "Lonesome Road." And Wilson picks up a guitar and sings along on "I'm Going Out Walking"--the first recorded hint of Wilson's considerable six-string abilities. But the disc's brightest moments are Johnson's, as he transformsJohn Lee Hooker's "Bluebird" into aT-Bone Walker-style workout, putsMuddy Waterslicks behind "I'm Going Out Walking," and breaks up his heavy-handed strumming with hummingbird-speed fills, hammer-ons, and other guitar tricks. It's more proof that Johnson--either live on any of the hundreds of dates he plays each year or in the studio--is one of the reigning masters of contemporary Mississippi blues.--Ted Drozdowski