CD Review
Louisiana Red
A Different Shade of Red - The Woodstock Sessions
(Severn Records (2002) CD-0016)
by TR Marshall
Review date: May 2003
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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The latest in a succession of fine albums by Iverson Minter a.k.a. Louisiana Red, "A Different Shade of Red The Woodstock Sessions" again finds Red covering a lot of blues ground. His recordings span some fifty years and along the way he has played with some of the famous and infamous members of the blues community. This time out he is in the company of some of the better known session men of Bob Dylan's backup band The Band. In fact these sessions were recorded in the summer of 2000 in the studio/barn of Levon Helm in Woodstock, New York. Backed by such notable players as Brian Bisesi, Steve Gomes, Levon Helm, David Maxwell, Ola Dixon, Benjie Porecki, Jimmy Vivino, and Garth Hudson this is one powerful collection of blues talent. With Red's soulful and impassioned approach to the material he is in good hand with the production team of Brian Bisesi and Jimmy Vivino. From the opener "Take Your Time", through the "Sleep Little Robert" eleven songs later the listener can experience a range of styles not often included in a blues album. Healthy doses of Muscle Shoals, Stax/Volt inspired horns add a welcome punch to the selections where they are used. Fans of slide guitar will find a gem in the twelve bar "Where's My Friends?" "Alabama Train" begins with a threatening guitar riff that blends in an infectious horn chart and organ that then takes you along for an unforgettable ride. "Blue Evening" could have easily been lifted from a Charles Brown disc, with Red handling vocals.
As Red continues to add to his growing stature as one of the elder statesmen of the blues and continues to find ways of expressing his depth of feeling for the genre; we can look for surprises every time he records. Those of us who are long time fans, and the growing fans he is making with each effort place Red in an elite and respected group of blues performers. Visit: www.severnrecords.com for more about not only this very listenable release, but also other notable artists on this crowing label.
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