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No matter where Big Daddy
Wilson travels on this big, beautiful, mixed-up planet of ours, he takes the
South with him.
Listening to the soulful
storytelling of the man born Wilson Blount in a small town in the Inner Banks
region of North Carolina, it's impossible not to conjure images of dusty back
roads, cypress groves, a Saturday night juke joint or Sunday morning revival
meeting. It's a nostalgic and – some might say – glorified image of rural
America. Yet in an age of ruthless demagogues and divisive politics, Big
Daddy Wilson chooses to celebrate the simple things that bond us as human
beings – a smile, a shared meal, a helping hand – along with cherished values
like faith, perseverance and devotion to family. For more than two decades,
he has been carrying his message of hope and unity to each and every show,
whether in New York, Paris, Auckland or – in the case of his new live album
Songs From The Road – the village of Rubigen in central Switzerland.
The concert recorded at the
Mühle Hunziken exemplifies Wilson's uncanny ability to connect with an
audience. The key ingredients are honesty, his natural charisma and the sheer
power of his voice. This performance from the fall of 2017 is a testament to
just how far the American ex-pat and former soldier has come since answering
a newspaper ad and summoning the courage to sing "Stormy Monday"
for a group of young German blues musicians way back in the 1980s. He's ably
supported by a tight and versatile four-piece unit comprising Cesare "Smokestack"
Nolli (g), Paolo Legramandi (b), Nik Taccori (dr) and Enzo Messina (k). A
band that backs Big Daddy Wilson always has to be at the top of its game,
because his music isn't any one thing. From song to song, it may transform
into something hard-driving or laid-back, funky or bluesy, joyful or
brooding, stripped down or supercharged.
"I tried to give my
listener a small view of the journey, the good, the bad, the highs and the
lows," explains Wilson in the liner notes to the album. He and the band
open the set sounding figuratively uptown: "Wake Up" is a steady
grooving call to action, "Drop Down Here" a reggae-tinged plea for
help from the man upstairs, "Miss Dorothy Lee" a guitar-fueled
tribute transported on a Bo Diddley-like rhythm. The bawdy blues of
"Texas Boogie" gives way to the dead serious testifying of
"Ain't No Slave." Then it's time for a little side trip to the
countryside: "Anna Mae" and, later, "Cross Creek Road,"
are sun-drenched and pastoral. The band picks up steam again on
"Neckbone Stew," ultimately climaxing with the earthy "Baby
Don't Like." The twelve-song live CD closes with the eloquent simplicity
of "I Just Need A Smile."
As usual with the long-running
Songs From The Road series, there are visuals as well. The accompanying DVD
in the two-disc set includes 15 songs in all and offers a good long look at
Big Daddy Wilson in action. It opens with the familiar gospel blues of
"John The Revelator" and closes with something he revealingly calls
his "Country Boy Medley." But don't expect to see him standing
onstage in overalls and work boots. As always, Wilson is nattily attired in
fine threads, a short-brimmed hat and the ubiquitous pair of dark shades.
Some years ago, Big Daddy
Wilson told an interviewer that the main reason he wears sunglasses onstage
is his inherently shy nature. "I'm no entertainer," he claimed at
the time. Songs From The Road delivers some pretty strong evidence to the
contrary. And yet, in a certain way, he's right. Wilson's music – like Wilson
himself – is real. It's honest. At no point is this man ever putting on a
show. "I’m just interested in singing, getting my message out and
feeling the people – and hoping I can make them feel me."
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