Watermelon Slim And The Workers – No Paid Holidays – NorthernBlues NBM0047

Watermelon Slim And The Workers – No Paid Holidays – NorthernBlues NBM0047

Written by John Taylor

In retrospect, Watermelon Slim’s first two outings on NorthernBlues could well have been stamped “under development.” Sure, they were exceptionally fine platters, filled with tough-as-nails tunes delivered with assurance and authority, both deserving the many accolades sent Slim’s way.

But with his third, “No Paid Holidays,” Slim’s music has coalesced into a potent and utterly seamless package. No trying on styles here, no dabbling in different directions … ‘Holidays’ is a fully-realized expression of a unique and singular musical vision.

A bit much for a simple blues recording? Not in this case …

Slim’s heart attack a few years back saw him turn to a full-time musical career that’s seen his star rise dramatically in short order. Hard work and relentless touring have honed both his songwriting chops and his musical instincts, while rendering The Workers one of the tightest outfits on the circuit.

Slim’s tales of hard luck and hard times dwell in the territory where the personal becomes universal. A former truck driver (of watermelons ... what else?), he touches on everything from absent fathers to a toothache, from civil unrest in Myanmar (“The Bloody Burmese Blues”) to “Max The Baseball Clown, “ an ode to a uniquely American character. Whatever the subject, though, the raw intensity he brings to every tune borders on scary – it’s hard to resist such sheer conviction. Slim doesn’t just sing these songs, he inhabits them, down to the very depths of his soul.

Take, for instance, “I’ve Got A Toothache.” In lesser hands, it wouldn’t be much of a topic. But Slim’s spooky delivery is so fraught with existential angst it sends shivers down the spine. Then there’s “Archetypal Blues No. 2,” paradoxically celebrating the music while cursing it’s various causes. There’s a riveting “And When I Die” (Laura Nyro’s ditty made famous by Blood, Sweat & Tears), just Slim and his harmonica; he takes the same approach on “This Travelling Life,” and picks up a dobro for a similar solo take on Mississippi Fred McDowell’s “Everybody’s Down On Me.”

Elsewhere there’s bone-crunching slide guitar and thick, greasy rhythms on “Blues For Howard” (the disc’s opener, a thoughtful meditation on the consequences of our actions), a funky, harmonica-fuelled “Call My Job,” and the spooky, minor-key “You’re The One I Need.” “Into The Sunset” rides a loping rhythm to excellent effect, and the furious instrumental “Gearzy’s Boogie” give Slim a chance to show off some dazzling harmonica work.

Whatever the groove, The Workers meet and match Slim note-for note. With gritty production that preserves all the grease and sweat, the do indeed sound like the hardest-working – and downright baddest – band in the land.

And absolutely stellar outing, “No Paid Holidays” is utterly essential listening, elevating Slim to a well-deserved place among blues royalty. Don’t miss it!

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