Bo Ramsey – Stranger Blues

It may surprise some that one of the best blues albums in recent years should come from Iowa, but it’s less of a surprise when the name attached is that of Bo Ramsey. His artistry as a guitarist-producer has kept him busy with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown, and Brown’s daughter Pieta (who co-produced this release), with this tribute to the influence of the blues in general and Chicago’s Chess Records in particular providing a perfect showcase for his command of tone and consummate taste. Where too many rock guitarists impacted by the blues boom of the 1960s emphasize speed, volume and virtuosic flash, Ramsey seems to massage solos and coax sounds from his guitar, as it frames the whispery, shadowy intimacy of his vocals. Much of the material is obscure, but better-known highlights include a swamp-blues, dirge-tempo transformation of “Sitting On Top Of The World” that casts the familiar lyric in fresh light, and a luminous instrumental rendition of the folk standard “Freight Train”.