Corey Harris, Fulton Blues (Njumba Records)

Corey Harris, Fulton Blues, Album coverAlthough Corey Harris made his name as a Delta blues player that is not nearly the end of his talents. He has a well-deserved reputation for performing many different genres from the West African tones of From Mississippi To Mali to the reggae of Zion Crossroads. [iframe class=”spotify-right” src=”https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:album:1FrrCvBvQCmmqM4FY4XkX8″ width=”300″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″ allowtransparency=”true”]Buy on AmazonBuy on iTunesHere he spices his intricate blues fingerings with a dose of horns that give him a rhythm and blues or West Side Chicago sound such as “Tallahatchie” or the opening Bobby-Bland-esque “Crying Blues.” The arrangements of these numbers are punchy and driven, but Harris’ voice, so great with sparser instrumentation, seems less full and slightly lost among the more busy music. However, his voice still rings with soul and authority on the guitar-oriented cuts. As he does on all his records, Harris brings the socio-economic-political aspects of both his originals and covers to the forefront whether on the lament of “House Negro Blues” or the deep, yet contained anguish of “Lynch Blues.” Lest a listener think that the record is all heavy seriousness, there is the rueful humor of Blind Blake’s “That Will Never Happen No More,” the honking sax and searing solo on “Catfish Blues,” and the groove of the album’s closer “Fat Duck’s Groove.” No matter what the context, Harris brings out the many flavors and moods of blues music; happy and sad, fast and slow, and everything in between in all of his playing.