Avalon Blues

Avalon Blues-A Tribute to the Music of Mississippi John Hurt



No musician ever applied a gentler touch to songs of murder, sex, and salvation than Mississippi John Hurt. The country bluesman enjoyed a career revival through the folk festival boom of the early 1960s, and his influence continues to ripple, as this varied and vital tribute attests. Produced by Peter Case (who teams with Dave Alvin on "Monday Morning Blues"), the album's renewal of classic Hurt extends from the deadpan double entendres of "Candy Man" delivered by Steve Earle and son Justin to Taj Mahal's trademark lilt on "My Creole Belle" to a surprisingly straightforward "Stagolee" by Beck. Amid a roster of luminaries ranging from fingerpicking acolytes Chris Smither and Bill Morrissey to Ben Harper, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, and Gillian Welch, the most radically disarming interpretation comes from Victoria Williams. Her breathless "Since I've Laid My Burden Down" sounds like a preschooler on helium, yet somehow taps into the subconscious of the song. --Don McLeese


01. Frankie & Albert - Chirs Smither
02. Avalon, My Home Town - Bruce Cockburn
03. Angels Laid Him Away - Lucinda Williams
04. Here Am I, Oh Lord, Send Me - Alvin Youngblood Hart
05. Candy Man - Steve & Justin Earle
06. Monday Morning Blues - Peter Case & Dave Alvin
07. Sliding Delta - Ben Harper
08. Chicken - Geoff Muldaur (with Jenni & Claire Muldaur)
09. Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor - Mark Selby
10. Stagolee - Beck
11. Since I've Laid My Burden Down - Victoria Williams
12. Pay Day - Bill Morrissey
13. My Creole Belle - Taj Mahal
14. Beulah Land - Gillian Welch
15. I'm Satisfied - John Hiatt

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