John Lee Hooker & Leadbelly. Guilt (Rock City. 2012. Digital Only)
We would usually not review a compilation but that one surely justifies an exception. This collection of 48 tracks by two of the most influential bluesmen of all times attracted our attention, provoked some suspicion but raised one question: John Lee Hooker and Leabelly, why? Leadbelly could be featured with any bluesman on an album and it kinda would make sense. But in this case, the chosen theme unites them in an obvious way and reminds us of how important that problematic really was and still is today in popular music: guilt. If the Blues emerged through songs of rebellion and sorrow in the Southern states, what it quickly became was the sombre sister of Gospel music. A genre that would tell stories of cheating, killing and confusion. And the tracks compiled here illustrate this point perfectly. Many characters will find themselves in jail and often, they would agree that they deserved some kind of punishment (can we blame a deep Christian influence for that? Probably). The opening track is John Hardy, a classic story of a man who shot another man, followed by Goodnight Irene and all the traditional and original songs you’d expect from Where Did you Sleep Last Night (In The Pines), Graveyard Blues or Leave My Wife Alone.
Talking about guilt and blues, you could add many tracks to the list, so here we started, listen, listen…
