Maria Muldaur: Richland Woman Blues

Aided by the similarly inclined Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, and Alvin “Youngblood” Hart, Muldaur breezes through 14 tunes from icons Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie, as well as obscurities from the Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, and Blind Willie Johnson.

Keeping the unplugged accompaniment stripped way down to a single guitar or piano and occasional bass, Muldaur has room to maneuver her evocative vocals that shift from gritty groans to a high-pitched edgy trill. Far from a dry history lesson, these songs are performed with the strength and tenacity of the women who originally sang them. Whether spinning saucy, double entendre lyrics in “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” (“the way you ride so easy, I can’t turn you down”) or longing for her Southern home after moving north during the Depression in Bessie Smith’s “Far Away Blues,” the singer remains invigorated and inspired throughout. By returning to her late-’60s Jim Kweskin Jug Band coffeehouse days, Maria Muldaur has discovered her middle-aged oasis with Richland Woman Blues. And there’s not a camel in sight.. Hal Horowitz /AMG

Personnel: Bass – Roly Salley / Guitar – Alvin Youngblood Hart, Bonnie Raitt, Ernie Hawkins, John Sebastian, Roy Rogers (2) / Mandocello – David Wilkie / Piano – Dave Mathews / Slide Guitar – Bonnie Raitt / Twelve-string Guitar – Amos Garrett / Vocals – Alvin Youngblood Hart, Angela Strehli, Maria Muldaur, Tracy Nelson

Tracklisting

Side A:
1.Richland Woman Blues
2. Grasshoppers In My Pillow
3. It’s A Blessing
4. Me And My Chauffeur Blues
5. Put It Right Here
6. I’m Goin’ Back Home

Side B
1. My Man Blues
2. In My Girlish Days
3. Far Away Blues
4. I Got To Move
5. Lonesome Desert Blues
6. Soul Of A Man
7. I Belong To That Band
8. It’s A Blessing (Reprise)

Cat No: PPAN SP1270
Format: 180 gram LP x 1 gatefold sleeve
Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London
Produced by John Jacob, Maria Muldaur
Engineer: John Jacob