Lurrie Bell
Blues Had A Baby
(Delmark 735)
Lurrie Bell's CD Blues Had a Baby is as enigmatic as the
man himself. The son of Chicago harpmaster Carey Bell is said to be a lost
soul. At times, he rambles the streets aimlessly, playing for spare
change. Other times he's a headliner at a major bluesfest. Blues Had a
Baby mirrors that personality. On "Lurrie's Walk" and "Mean
Black Spider," Bell produces brilliant wasp-stinger licks. Yet the
real power in this CD is the haunting authenticity that resonates
throughout. This isn't some guy singing a blues song. This is gut-bucket.
The most striking example of this believability is on the Bell original,
"I'll Be Your 44." When he closes with the line "I just
might kill you, too," the listener shudders. He sounds completely
capable. But just as brilliant as Bell is on these tracks, Blues Had a
Baby slips from manic to depressant in places. Lyrically, Bell's kingsnake
slur slithers once too often into the unintelligible. He also stumbles
through the lyrics on the traditional "If I Had a Hammer," which
starts strong but drags. The liner notes state that the final four tracks
were recorded after a blown session for a previous CD, Mercurial Son, and
were added as a bonus. With the exception of "44," these tracks
add little. Still, Bell's innovative guitar and sense of realism
overshadow these flaws. In researching this CD, the Internet reveals
little about Bell or his music. Then there's this obscure posting...
- Cory Castetter -
Southwest Blues CD Review - January 2000
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