Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Gaye Adegbalolo & Watermelon Slim
The third section of the 30th Blues Music Awards DVD features uninterrupted performances from Blues Music Award nominees like R&B great Bettye LaVette, Curtis Salgado, Albert Castiglia, Michael Burks, Robin Rogers, and others. Blues legend Taj Mahal is joined by Maria Muldaur to reprise their original 2001 duet on the Blind Willie Johnson gem “The Soul of a Man.” The veteran bluesman’s gruff, growling vocals create a strong counterpoint to Muldaur’s sweeter, soulful tones, resulting in an energetic performance dynamic.
Gaye Adegbalolo, former Saffire, The Uppity Blues Women frontwoman, floored the audience with her raucous, autobiographical “Queer Blues.” Set to a New Orleans styled rhythm (think “Iko Iko”), Adegbalolo is backed by an all-star outfit that includes incendiary harpist Jason Ricci. Closing out the segment, the nattily-dressed Watermelon Slim leads his Workers band through a somber reading of “Dad in the Distance.” Standing behind a table holding his lap-steel guitar, Slim lays down his dark, twangy vocals and mourning guitar tones in front of subtle, but strong backing instrumentation.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
As great as the performances on the 30th Blues Music Awards DVD are, I still have a couple of gripes about the set. First of all, although $20 isn’t a bad price to pay for the amount of music that you’ll enjoy here, the DVD packaging is somewhat sparse…just a digipak, the DVD, and a bunch of small photos printed on the cardboard. C’mon, guys, it wouldn’t have cost too much extra to include a booklet of some sort with song titles, band member names, and liner notes – surely Bill Dahl was available to write ‘em or, ahem, the Reverend would be glad to volunteer.
Surely, the sheer amount of music and number of performances at any given Blues Music Awards ceremony would be a video editor’s nightmare. Personally, I would prefer to see the winner’s acceptance speeches either before or after their performance, so as not to take away from the music. These minor cavils aside, with over three hours of music from a wide range of blues artists, the 30th Blues Music Awards DVD is about as good a deal for the money as you’re going to find. With over two dozen lively performances, you’re guaranteed to discover your new blues favorite, and if you can’t afford a ticket to Memphis in May, this DVD is a mighty fine substitute. (The Blues Foundation, released February 1, 2010)
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