Lead Foot Music - Mark T Small - Smokin' Blues - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (January 28, 2014), Smokin' Blues, from Mark T Small and it really is smokin! Opening with Blind Boy Fuller's guitar boogie, Step It Up And Go, Small is cooking right out of the gate. A straight simple acoustic guitar boogie with vocals its a great start. Next Up is Tampa Red's Sell My Monkey, a slow acoustic blues with really clean walking bass line and blues riffs. Cool track. My Daddy Was A Jockey is right out of John Lee Hooker's songbook and Small gets the feel of Hooker with his relentless vamp and 2 note solos. Very cool. Jimmy Oden's Going Down Slow has really expressive vocals and exceptional acoustic blues riffs. Really really nice. Gary Davis' Buck Rag is really well executed. Davis was one of my favorite acoustic players and Small has done an excellent job of playing tribute to a great player. Rufus Thomas' Walkin The Dog is always a fun track and Small gives it a new run. He coaxes himself on in a calling style as he plays cool guitar riffs. Howlin' Wolf's Moanin' At Midnight finds Small joined by Walter Woods on harp. Woods is a nice addition playing some smokin riffs and Small lays down some cool slide to boot! Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning, another Gary Davis tune but played on a resonator and with slide giving it more of a delta feel. Elmore James' Early In The Morning is up next and given a walking blues sound but with some slick James riffs thrown in. Again very nice. Sam McGee's Railroad Blues is one of the most meomorable tracks on the release with some exceptional flatpicked guitar runs. Whew! Charlie Patton's Stone Pony Blues has a real authentic feel with thick delta vibe. Wrapping up the release is Americana Medley, a ragtime style arrangements of America The Beautiful/Take Me Out To The Ballgame/Yankee Doodle Dandy sounding not unlike Chet Atkins. This is a real nice conclusion to a really clean release.

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