This album is a tribute to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, a higely influential pairing who worked with Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger among others. Cooder was a teenager when he first saw them play, and were one of the inspirations behind forming The Rising Sons which also featured Taj Mahal. They recorded an album which remained unreleased for many years as it was rejected by the record label at the time, and this is the first time they have come together to record an album since then. Of course, they are now both highly regarded stars in their own right, and have both had highly influential careers in music and in their twilight years they have come back together again. Cooder provides vocals, guitar, mandolin and banjo while Mahal sings and played harmonica, guitar and piano. They were joined by Cooder’s son Joachim on percussion and bass, and the songs were recorded in one take, with a feeling and approach which aligns closely to the early days of recorded music.

They were heavily inspired by the classic 1952 album by Folkmasters, ‘Get On Board (Negro Folksongs By The Folkmasters)’ which featured Sonny Terry (harmonica, vocals), Brownie McGhee (guitar, vocals) and Coyal McMahan (maracas, vocals). The track listing is similar (although not quite identical), while the cover is almost identical, although of course the photos are different. The songs range through early blues and folk, with songs like “Pick A Bale of Cotton” driving alongside classics such as “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” and “The Midnight Special”. Like many, I have followed the careers of both these musicians over the years and I have never heard Cooder sound quite so much at home as here is with his old friend and his son. Given their age (one late 70’s and one in his 80’s) one has to wonder just how much more music they have left in them, but if this is the last then they have provided something truly remarkable with which to end their careers. It is as far away from modern pop music as it is possible to be, and is true class and passion from beginning to end.

Rating: 10/10

Links:
https://www.tajblues.com/
https://rycooder.com/
https://www.nonesuch.com/