James, SamuelSongs Famed For Sorrow And JoyNorthernBluesNBM0043

James, Samuel - Songs Famed For Sorrow And Joy - NorthernBlues - NBM0043

Written by John Taylor

Promotional material accompanying Samuel James' debut, 'Songs Famed For Sorrow And Joy,' suggest relevance is a better barometer for today's blues artists than that old warhorse, 'authenticity.' It's a valid point. In an increasingly noisy world, today's blues artists - especially those rooted in acoustic tradition - better have something relevant to say. Otherwise they risk being lost amid the deafening din of modern life.

James certainly has a traditional sound. Voice, guitar, and the percussive thump of tapping feet. He even whistles on occasion - not a sound prevalent in most of today's pop music. But his songs - this is an all-original outing - sound as though they could easily have been written either yesterday or at the turn of the century. There's something timeless about these tales of barter and betrayal, murder and mercy, love and loss - themes as enduring as the human heart itself. A storyteller at heart, James knows that names and places may change with the telling, but the essential truth of the tale lives on.

Take, for example, the last track on the disc. "The Sad Ballad Of Ol' Willie Chan" tells the story of a Chinese worker conscripted to lay railroad track in the days of the robber barons, who met his fate for having the audacity to ask for water. True, the railroad's been finished for a while now, but cruelty and inhumanity continue to flourish, and the song's message remains resonant.

But just as the heart is capable of both joy and sorrow, all's not gloom and doom here. Opener "The "Here Comes Nina" Country-Ragtime Surprise" (James favours loooong titles!) is a jaunty romp full of joyous anticipation. "Sugar Smallhouse Heads For The Hills" is a rambling tale of love with a dangerous woman - surely a topic many men will identify with (and no, it's not sexist, ladies!). "One-Eyed Katie" is another cautionary tale in a similar vein (She's all woman/But not one bit lady"), while both "Sleepy Girl Blues" and "Baby Doll" are typical blues love songs, wherein love isn't necessarily returned as James the protagonist would like.

On the dark and dangerous side, "Sunrise Blues," a death-row meditation on regret, combines defiance and despair to riveting effect. "Big Black Ben" is a study in racial prejudice and misused authority, though the song's denouement provides an unexpected surprise. And Sugar Smallhouse makes a return appearance on the somewhat surreal "Sugar Smallhouse And The Legend Of The Wandering Siren Cactus," while elsewhere we get "Love and Mumbly-Peg (great title!), and "Mid-December Blues," less about time of year than broken promises. Instrumentals include "Whooooooo Rosa" and "Running From My Baby's Gun, Whilst Previously Watching Butterflies From My Front Porch," both employing ever-shifting rhythms and dynamics to maintain musical interest.

James is an excellent player and fine singer, though his voice lacks the resonance of, say, a Keb 'Mo or Eric Bibb. Production here is superb, crisp and clear, and while it's the music itself that counts, it's worth noting that NorthernBlues retains their reputation for exemplary packaging.

With so much of today's music generated by computer, with producer rather than performer shaping the final product, James' music provides an ideal antidote - sound is impeccably clean, sure, but there's an organic honesty to it all that's as refreshing as a spring breeze yet as comfortable as old jeans.

This one's a keeper, marking the debut of a voice and vision to be reckoned with, and leaving no doubt we'll be hearing much more from Samuel James. Get hip now!

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