The Mississippi Marvel
The World Must Never Know
Broke & Hungry (2008) BH13005



10 tracks, 40 minutes. Highly recommended. The general consensus might well be that they don't make records like this any more. Looking at the artists on the Broke & Hungry roster and listening to what the label has delivered thus far, that opinion changes quickly. Who The Mississippi Marvel is will likely be kept a secret, as the church-goers in his community would certainly frown upon his penchant for playing what many there still think of as the devil's music. It's entirely possible he'd become an outcast and the scourge of the small, rural Mississippi town he lives in, so we'll leave well enough alone. A little fair warning is in order considering this label's output, especially if readers are fans of slick, modern blues where studio gimmicks and over-production are common factors. Jeff Konkel, Broke & Hungry's fearless leader, has no need for any of that nonsense. Four of the cuts show the masked wonder's quiet and more introspective approach to Laundromat Blues, Everything's Gonna Be Alright, Catfish Blues and No Mail Blues; all fine and delivered in strong blues fashion. However, the gloves come completely off when the Marvel plugs in to an amplifier and is joined by Lightnin' Malcolm on drums. .44 Blues is about as even as a country juke joint's floorboards, while Kankakee rattles and rumbles about a stumbling groove with some eerie falsetto vocals. Stoop Down Mama, Feel Like Layin' Down and Hard Pill To Swallow have nothing at all to do with courtesy either. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes (harp) and Bill Abel (guitar) join in on Waterboy, Waterboy - the standout. This is ragged-and-raw, bare-knuckled blues that reminds those 'in the zone' of a rusted, old, broken-down car bounding and careening down a dusty Delta road flailing left and right, looking like it's about to crash. That, my friends, is the pure genius at work here. There isn't one big, horrific crash - it's a series of accidents that gel beautifully over five-and-a-half minutes with vocal whoops and hollers and insanely distorted guitar over what can loosely be considered a backbeat. Amazing! Make no mistake about it, if your tastes lean toward smoothly-produced blues, you might want to put on Dr. Phil after making it through this disc. But if you like your music with jagged edges that cut right to the bone and make no apologies, this is for you. Archaic and absolutely wonderful.

Broke & Hungry Records

© 2009 by Craig Ruskey