Jackson, FrutelandBlues 2.0Electro-Fi Records3380

Jackson, Fruteland - Blues 2.0 - Electro-Fi Records - 3380

Written by John Taylor

The blues have come a long way indeed from their origins - origins, most agree, that began with "field hollers" in the cotton fields of the south. Few blues fans today can claim any experience of the suffering and hardship which gave rise to the form, yet the sound of those hollers - stark, spare, haunting - can still send chills down the spine.

Fruteland Jackson was raised in Mississippi, studied music in Chicago, and in part through his work with the Blues In The Schools program, is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the blues.

Hence, we are presented with the almost acapella Blues 2.0, which provides both the title and the opening track for Jackson's second outing for Electro-Fi. Accompanied only by producer Alec Fraser's aptly named "big boom drum," it's a startlingly effective beginning showing that, really, some things have changed through the years only by degree.

Jackson continues his modern take on timeless themes with Bo Carter's My Pencil Don't Write No More, into which he inserts sly references to Viagra that render it a thoroughly contemporary tune. Laura Marie is a straight-forward love song in the blues tradition; where else would bar-b-que form the basis of attraction? Long Distance Love Affair is a wry look at the difficulties of maintaining just that, something as relevant today as yesterday.

Most of the remaining songs - with the exception of Pencil and Tommy Johnson's Big Road Blues - were written or co-written by Jackson and all of them continue in the same vein. It's delta blues for modern times, with the occasional contemporary touch to bring things into the 21st century.

But make no mistake, this isn't a dry and dusty work whose only merit is scholarly; this music is full of life, timeless yet as relevant as tomorrow's headlines. The disc's only weak point occurs when Jackson gets a little too earnest on Blues On The Banjo. Musically it's likeable enough, but the message is a little too trite to bear repeated listenings.

Jackson is supported here by the aforementioned Fraser on bass, while the father and son team of Ken and Chris Whiteley contribute a variety of instruments (mandolin, banjo, and washboard from the former and harmonica, trumpet, and guitar from the latter). The inimitable Mel Brown guests on both guitar and piano.

Instrumentation is spare, leaving lots of room for Jackson's warm vocals and allowing his message to come through loud and clear. Recorded at Fraser's Liquid Studios (arguably the best the country has to offer), the sound is pristine in its clarity and presence, an absolute sonic delight.

While Jackson's sound may be a bit idiosyncratic and is likely to appeal more to some than others, it's hard to imagine anyone disliking this disc. Not something you'd play every day, perhaps, but a fine outing that can be taken as direct link to times long gone.

And isn't that, after all, precisely why we humans value tradition?

Copyright 2004. Review by John Taylor.

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