In 2001,
Peter Case
produced an all-star
tribute album
honoring the music of
Mississippi John Hurt
,
Avalon Blues
, so with a title like
Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John
, it's not hard to imagine he's chosen to pay homage to another great
country blues
artist,
Sleepy John Estes
. As it happens, the album features ten new songs from
Case
(along with one
traditional
blues
tune,
"Get Away Blues"
), and the album's
influences are generally more a matter of approach and attitude rather than the adoption of any strict musical templates, but
does follow the "less is more" approach of classic
. Most of the songs feature just
and his acoustic guitar, and the lyrics often dwell on bad luck and trouble as they manifest themselves in the modern world, from the multi-millionaire jailbird in
"Million Dollars Bail"
and the knocked-down street people of
"Underneath the Stars"
to the washed-up boxer of
"Palookaville"
and the big city malaise of
"Ain't Gonna Worry No More"
(which concludes with the spectral appearance of
Lightnin' Hopkins
at a local saloon).
suggests the lean musical structures of
's 1998 album
Full Service No Waiting
fused with the storytelling sense of 1989's
The Man with the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditional Guitar
, and the result is one of
's most satisfying albums in years; as a lyricist,
hits his targets dead on with these songs, and musically the Spartan arrangements favor the sturdy beauty of his melodies, and when he does bring in an accompanist --
Richard Thompson
on
"Every 24 Hours,"
Duane Jarvis
"I'm Gonna Change My Ways,"
Carlos Guitarlos
-- he makes their presence count. And if
is dominated by the realities of life on the streets in Big City U.S.A.,
also finds some genuine inspiration in the ineffable mysteries of life, and
"Every 24 Hours"
and
"That Soul Twist"
bookend this album with an unpretentious beauty and a simple joy in world that changes with every sunrise; this is a splendid album from a truly gifted artist. ~ Mark Deming