Reviews
Fingerpicking, Ragtime, Bottleneck & Blues
Very much a “does exactly what it says on the tin” disc, this – and all the better for it. This is an exemplary CD, notable for its consistency of vision and its clear-sighted, unpretentious musicality. It was recorded in just one three-hour session, and sounds like a genial, relaxed and confident live performance in the intimacy of your own living-room – one which you would actually like to hear again. What I find amazing is that Michael’s been performing this repertoire for over 30 years and yet he’s managed to elude my radar until now. And this is only his second CD (the first, By A River, appeared ten years ago). Stylistically, Michael’s evidently most inspired by the pre-war country-blues greats (Blind Boy Fuller came especially to mind, and now I read in Michael’s booklet note that his first exposure to country-blues was Fuller’s Pistol Slapper Blues played by Rory Gallagher). Michael’s fingerpicking has an infectious sense of the pulse of the music, making light of his technical perfection. The disc takes us through a well-balanced mix of uptempo numbers (ragtime instrumentals and rolling country-blues) and more leisurely-paced delta blues, and Michael displays equal skill in both. I liked his take on I Know You Rider, with its particularly well-considered accompaniment, and it’s interesting to hear another artist cover the obscure Grateful Dead track Dupree’s Diamond Blues (tho’ the compass of the B-section is a trifle awkward to sing!); Michael also gets the chance to shine on some bottleneck-dobro, though on just the one track (Sleepy John Estes’ Brownsville Blues). Perhaps there’s the occasional hint of tripping over his own fingers on a couple of tricky manoeuvres during his own composition Excuse Me, Mr. Phelps? (is Michael deeming this to be a “mission impossible”?!), but Michael’s dexterity and overall sense of oneness with his chosen idiom is never less than impressive. And on the more expressive numbers, maybe Michael’s singing tends to lack the last vital ounce or two of grit, but a degree of understatement can be a virtue in this field too. So if you’re seeking a convivial, straight-down-the-line album of country-blues classics done with skill, directness, flair and true feeling for the idiom, then get your hands on this thoroughly pleasing disc (which by the way pleases the eye too with its aesthetically satisfying art-deco artwork).
- Folk Roundabout (March '09)
Michael Woods – Fingerpicking Ragtime Bottleneck & Blues
Michael Woods is a new name to me although he has been performing for over thirty years, has appeared at many clubs and at the Cambridge Folk and the Colne Blues Festivals. There is some interesting material in this fourteen track, all acoustic set, with covers from the likes of Blind Boy Fuller,J.J.Cale and Sonny Boy Williamson.
Woods is a clean dextrous guitar picker and on John Estes’ “Brownsville Blues”, the only Bottleneck piece, he illustrates that he has a distinctive and crisp technique. There is one original title, “Excuse Me, Mr Phelps?”, a lively guitar instrumental showing influence of the master picker Blind Arthur Blake, and on the traditional gospel song “Trimmed & Burning” there are some respectful guitar references to the legendary Rev. Gary Davis.
On Willie Moore’s “One Way Gal” Woods lilts along at a gentle pace and I was fascinated by his choice of Dupree’s Diamond Blues, a song that I have not heard elsewhere. His interpretation of Willie Brown’s “Mississippi Blues” captures the atmosphere of this very popular and much recorded song, and there is a bright version of Little Hat Jones’ ”Bye Bye Baby Blues”.
This is an enjoyable set but I felt on some tracks he was playing a little too fast and would have liked him to have been a little more expressive with his vocals. Nevertheless, here is a musician that has a lot to offer and long may it last!
Rating: 7 – Bob Tilling (Blues in Britain (Issue 90-June ’09))
FingerpickingRagtime Bottleneck & Blues
Left-handed guitarist Michael does just what it says on the tin (or cover, at any rate). He was originally inspired to play the country blues by Rory Gallagher, after hearing the Irishman’s version of “Pistol Slapper Blues”. Michael found a link to Fuller and Reverend Gary Davis too; they were both associated with the tobacco town of Durham, North Carolina, and Michael grew up in Durham, er, County Durham in England’s north-east. He made his first public appearance around 1977, and has been out there ever since. The fourteen tracks were recorded in one session, and the credits range from Mississippi John Hurt and Sleepy John Estes to the Grateful Dead and JJ Cale’s popular “Call Me The Breeze”. The one original is a blistering tribute to Blind Blake, and, indeed, Michael is a terrifically accomplished player. His vocals are a little ‘polite’, in a very English way, but these kind of releases are listened to more for the guitar work than the singing, and this does not disappoint in that respect.
NormanDarwen (Blues Matters –(Issue49- July’09))
FingerpickingRagtime Bottleneck & Blues
No guesses as to what's on the agenda here then. Michael's a home-grown picker who's apparently been plying his blues trade for 31 years and might, on this evidence, give some of our transatlantic cousins a run for their money. Admittedly most of the songs here have been covered a million times before, but his powerful picking really shines on a whole shackload of classic blues like John Hurt's "Ain't No Tellin'" and "Deep Ellum".
Julian Piper Acoustic magazine (December 2009)
