Fish Ain't Bitin'
Performing the old standard "Frankie and Johnnie" with an acoustic guitar is hardly a radical step in blues, but this young singer-songwriter is much more than a revivalist. Using tuba accompaniment on the opening "High Fever Blues" and covering obscurities like Memphis Minnie's "Bumble Bee Blues," the Denver-born Harris finds new spirit in traditional blues on his second album. He has the sort of effortless bluesman's voice that gave forebears Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, and Muddy Waters their depth and spirit, so we can feel the worry in "Mama Got Worried" and the fear in "If You Leave Me."--Steve Knopper