[an error occurred while processing this directive]

chris Thomas King

"Red Mud"

Black Top BT 1148

We were in New Orleans this past New Year's with friends. It just so happened that we ran up on chris Thomas King doing an acoustic set at Margueritaville on New Year's day. He had played there the night before with full band. Everyone in the group was impressed with this dred-locked, imaginative, guitar/harp-playing singer who had people dancing in the aisles at 2:00 in the afternoon. I got to talk with chris at a break and he gave me a copy of Red Mud. At that time it was riding high on Living Blues top 25 chart and remains in the listing with the last issue.

This is an acoustic cD that you can put on with any crowd and gain acceptance if they have the least appreciation of the blues. He manages to pull a great deal of music from a dobro, National Steel, classical guitar and harmonica. There is also accompaniment on several cuts by Darryl White on drums and David Tarantolo does an excellent job on B-3 organ on Hoodoo Party. Speaking of Hoodoo Party, chris Thomas King's father, Tabby Thomas, sings on this original of his. Seems that chris added the "King" to his last name in tribute to his blues heros. Tabby also sings on Bus Station Blues. If you look closely you will see that the cD cover photos were shot at Tabby's Blues Box in Baton Rouge.

This cD showcases chris's songwriting and performing abilities. Among the songs that he composed, the title song Red Mud and If It Ain't One Thang, It's Another convey a sound reminiscence of the Delta masters, but updated enough to appeal to the non-purists. Other originals, like Soon This Morning, Sinking Feelings, and Dark cloud demonstrate again his ability to take traditional forms of blues and give them a new, creative sound.

It takes confidence to cover the likes of Robert Johnson and Son House. c.T. King's versions of Johnson's come On In My Kitchen and Rambling On My Mind were acceptable covers. His rendition of House's Death Letter Blues was great although it ends with more Robert Johnson (Walking Blues) than Son House.

There are three songs that don't necessarily fall into the blues category, but I think this is what keeps an artist like chris in front of bigger audiences. Alive has a rap/blues flavor that I like least of the numbers, but it is good in its own right. Wanna Die With A Smile On My Face and Raining Angels fit well with the real blues here and play great as background music if you have a non-blues crowd over.

Give this cD a try. I think you will be impressed.

Tim Graham