To paraphrase Bob Dylan - "The blues, they are a-changin'." It seems there's a movement afoot to deconstruct the blues so they can be reassembled in a way that retains the commitment and the emotional core while expanding its concerns into the metaphysical.
The Tarbox Ramblers, back with their second effort, do it better than most. Led by Michael Tarbox, who handles guitar and vocals as well as all songwriting, they mine the darker edges of the blues while exploring some pretty grand themes. Stuff like life and death, sorrow and salvation. True, the blues have never shied away from big truths. But the Ramblers bring a probing intelligence and a fiery passion to a thoroughly unique vision, with the results quite extraordinary.
Take "Already Gone," the leadoff track. With it's insistently pounding rhythm punctuated by Tarbox' ragged howl, it starts conventionally enough - "Come on over baby/The light's always on." But it's the Holy Ghost that shivers up and down Tarbox' spine, and it's the ghost of Jesus that haunts the song's lonely brakeman. Next it's biblical blues in the form of "Were You There?", with Daniel Kellar's eerie violin and Tarbox' slide guitar weaving an otherworldly tapestry as Tarbox paints a chilling portrait of Christ's crucifixion. Dock Bogg's "Country Blues" gets a jungle boogie treatment with furious slide for effect.
The title song is another slice of the surreal, its soundscape built upon faintly booming drums and evocative violin. Yet such is the strength of Tarbox' vision that it works surprisingly well as an intro to the traditional "No Night There," a simple gospel ditty done in a down-home manner. The droning "Honey Babe" is pure hill-country blues, raw and rough and real, while "Cloth Of Gold" returns to Tarbox' chief concerns, sin and salvation. Here, too, Kellar's violin proves perfect, with a break that's just far enough from the edge of the expected to add to the song's - indeed, the disc's - unsettling mood.
"The Shining Sun" explores a familiar theme. Think "Trouble In Mind." Then add enough rocket fuel and whiskey to turn it into a desperate plea of fading hope, with darkness and despair looming in the background. "From The Algiers Station" is in the form of a country blues, but its disjointed lines and stark arrangement add an apocalyptic air to proceedings. The Ramblers even manage to inject "Last Month Of The Year," another traditional gospel tune, with the sense of impending doom that pervades everything else here, with more jungle drums and rattlesnake shaker giving it a voodoo edge. Things close with "Ashes To Ashes," a disturbing descent into the greed lurking in the heart of the American Dream.
This one's not easy, not a fun listen. Tarbox's world is far too dark for 'fun.' His, indeed, is a soul that seems pursued by the hellhounds so popular in blues mythology. Others have affected that conceit as a part of their persona, but with Tarbox there's no hint of an act. He stakes out territory few would care to explore and leads listeners into a world bordering on madness. And with fellow Ramblers Kellar and bassist Johnny Sciasca, he's crafted a perfect soundscape for that world.
Difficult, but a compelling work of exceptional power and dark beauty. Highly recommended!
Rounder Records Corp
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