September 29, 2009 is the release date for the anticipated new album from contemporary bluesman Corey Harris. Titled blu.black, the album follows up on Harris' critically-acclaimed 2007 collection, Zion Crossroads with a sound as unique as the artist himself. Harris uses Mississippi Delta blues as a starting point, adding in layers of Southern gospel, reggae and other Caribbean sounds, and the rhythms of Africa. The result is an invigorating blend of cultures and styles, a blues-based world music, if you will.
Harris is also a natural born storyteller, and blu.black features its share of finely-crafted tales. Harris uses his invigorating musical smorgasboard as a soundtrack for his epic lyrical attempt to connect the stories of African-Americans of centuries ago with the Black experience today. It's an ambitious song cycle, one that could only be attempted by an artist of Harris' talent and experience.
“The story that I want to tell is that we who have had the experience of coming from parents who came from the south, whose parent were poor and the children of slaves – we can take this music and make something new with it,” Harris says in a press release for the album. “The story isn’t finished. There are still places where it can move forward. There are still things that can be accomplished. There’s so much that can be done if we stay connected to the music and stay connected to our culture.”
I've heard this record already and believe me when I say that it's a revelation, totally unlike any other blues album that you'll experience this year. Watch for the Reverend's inevitable review of blue.black.
Photo courtesy Telarc Records
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