Ramblin' Jack Elliott - A Stranger Here

I wanted to write something about recent Grammy Awards announcments but there wasn't much to write about: we've got only two categories, for traditional and contemporary albums. One of them was won by Derek Trucks with his "Already Free" which I don't find too pleasing, although I heard it the last time about a year ago. The second award, far more exciting, is in hands of old folk master, Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Yeah, that one. He's still alive just for you to ask ;)

It's not a strictly blues affair, he's rather a folk artist, but whatever. He made an album of old blues covers in style of Tom Waits. Songs are played on acoustic guitar but there are many weird sounds around.


Album's okay. Compositions by old devils like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Son House, Leroy Carr or Mississippi John Hurt are amazing. "A Stranger Here" starts with "Rising High Water Blues" about the Great Flood in Mississippi in 1927. Ramblin' Jack almost happily sings: "back water rising, comin' in my windows and doors". Well, okay.

"Death Don't Have No Mercy" have never been a favorite of mine, even Grateful Dead messed it for me. Here it gets nice treatment with Keith Ciancia's piano line, but anyway to hell with it. It gets really better from here: "Rambler's Blues" is amazing and "The Soul Of A Man" has some of the nicest slide guitar licks played by a white guy. It's Ry Cooder-ish. Which is kinda obvious when you see that the tune was written by Blind Willie Johnson.

Remarkable is "Grinnin' In Your Face" but I'll never forget it with no accompaniament. It's not as angry as it used to be... It's all radio-friendly blues. Sometimes it's mourning blues, sometimes just barrelhouse fucking around, it's great that Ramblin' Jack Elliot decided to release a tribute to old blues folks, play their songs in an old-fashioned way and make it sound good in 21st century. And maybe this album has soul, really. We'll find out when it'll be 50 years old :-)

But I think it's better (and totally different) than Chicago Blues: A Living History and it deserves a Grammy.