Hubert Sumlin's
About Them Shoes is a refreshingly pure blues recording which comes at a time when others are distorting the genre with various "contemporary" elements. The songs are from the repertoire of
Muddy Waters -- seven tunes written by
Waters (
McKinley Morganfield), four by
Willie Dixon, one from Carl C. Wright, and a beauty by
Sumlin to close things out.
Dixon's "I'm Ready" starts things off with
Eric Clapton on lead guitar and vocals, the drums of
Levon Helm, and
Paul Oscher's oozing harmonica filling in nicely with
David Maxwell's piano. It's bouncy and shows a side of
Clapton not often present on his own albums.
Sumlin's lead is tasty, giving way to
Oscher's equally gritty wail.
Waters' own "Still a Fool" has
Keith Richards on lead vocals and sharing the guitar chores with
Sumlin. It's got that
Rolling Stones-ish ragged edge that producer
Rob Fraboni knows so well;
Fraboni's guiding hand never gets in the way of the musical process that flows across the CD.
James Cotton's harp comes in to spice up "She's Into Something," which features percussionist
George Recile on lead vocals and
Helm back on the skins.
Helm plays drums on eight of the 13 tracks,
Recile on four, with the final number,
Hubert Sumlin's only original, "Little Girl, This Is the End," closing the set without percussion. "Little Girl" features a charming interplay between
Keith Richards and
Sumlin's guitars, while
Paul Nowinski adds a full-bottom bass to round things out. It's
Sumlin's only
vocal contribution to the disc, and that voice swims in
Fraboni's mix of upfront guitars. This particular song was premiered on Holly Harris' Blues on Sunday program on December 15, 2002, a few months before the album's release, and played next to the remastered "Love in Vain" from
Let It Bleed, one could see why the distinctive
Richards style is such an important component of
the Rolling Stones' success. The two
Keith Richards tracks as well as the two contributions from
Clapton will get immediate attention, and they do not disappoint, but
Blondie Chaplin's vocal on "Look What You've Done" as well as
Paul Oscher's on "Come Home Baby" deserve to not get lost in the shuffle. Nathaniel Peterson and
George Recile also get to take the mic (with
David Johansen about to add some vocals at press time), but none of the changing voices disrupt the vibe or take away from the fun. These blues aren't sad, they are charging, energetic performances from musicians who catch the groove and drive it for all it's worth.
Maxwell's piano on
Waters' "Come Home Baby" adds frills behind the guitars of
Sumlin and
Bob Margolin, while
Oscher's harmonica just screams. It's a stunning blend of tension and dynamite, and one of the disc's highlights.
About Them Shoes could have taken the marquee talent and gone for a glitzy platform to bring
Hubert Sumlin into the mainstream. Instead, they dive headfirst into what this music is all about, and in doing so have come up with a mini-masterpiece. It's one of those records that can run endlessly in the CD player and keep entertaining. Hopefully it will expand the audience of this deserving virtuoso. ~ Joe Viglione