VARIOUS ARTISTS
Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough
Fat Possum
· A flawless nod to one of the late blues greats.
When it comes to blues history, there are few heavyweights as unknown as Junior Kimbrough. Even if you ignore his sizable catalogue of electrified Mississippi blues, you still gotta give him credit for keeping music alive in his legendary juke joint. The stage at the now defunct club became a revolving door for blues artists when they toured the South and was a regular home to R.L. Burnside before Jon Spencer brought him into the indie-rock limelight.
But Kimbrough’s music is what this compilation is all about and this tribute is a testament to the power of his songwriting. Whether his songs are tackled by hipster white boys (Blues Explosion, Black Keys and Spiritualized), longtime fan Iggy Pop or art-rock curiosities The Fiery Furnaces, each track has a distinct power and swampy groove. Album standout "Done Got Old" by Heartless Bastards puts Erika Wennerstrom’s mournful howl front and centre as guitars grind away behind her.
Surprisingly, there isn’t a dud in this bunch. You would be hard-pressed to find a better tribute album, but then again, you would be hard-pressed to find another Junior Kimbrough.
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