Paul Rishell and Annie Raines are a Boston-based duo and one of the few remaining duos, along with Cephas and Wiggins, who have chosen to keep the feeling of the Piedmont Blues alive. Performing in a style reminiscent of blues giant Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Rishell and Raines latest effort is entitled Goin’ Home.
Rishell is a native New Yorker who learned his craft from blues masters Son House and Howlin’ Wolf. An accomplished country blues guitarist and vocalist, Rishell his first solo recording Blues on a Holiday in 1990. He now lives in the Boston area where he met Annie Raines, an accomplished mandolin and harmonica player who has recorded with country blues maven Rory Block and even once played in a band with another Boston blues star, Susan Tedeschi. The duo released their first recording in 1996 and won a W. C. Handy Award for Best Acoustic Blues Album in 2000 for their Tone Cool release, Moving to the Country.
Goin’ Home is comprised of thirteen songs, including eleven studio tracks and two live tracks, with two originals and eleven original arrangements of songs by a host of classic blues artists like Ma Rainey, Scrapper Blackwell, Magic Sam, Charlie Patton and Blind Lemon Jefferson, to name a few. The recording clearly demonstrates the range, maturation and multi-instrumental abilities of this dynamic duo. Regardless of whether they are interpreting the Piedmont style, rags, jug band music, gospel or blues from Chicago and Texas, the pair’s delivery is relaxed, capable and professional. Further, the two live recordings, “One of These Days” and “Looking Good” capture the intensity and show-stopping quality of the duo’s live performances.
The recording opens with the light, humorous “Hunkie Tunkie Blues,” followed by the first of the to originals, “You’ve Got it Made,” a swing tune that Rishell dedicated to Casey Bill Weldon and Bob Dunn. The blending of Rishell’s guitar and Raines’ harmonica go together like peaches and crème. The interpretations of songs like Washington Phillips’ “I Had a Good Mother and Father,” Charlie Patton’s “I’m Goin’ Home,” “Memphis Town” by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell and Blind Lemon Jefferson’s gem, “Black Horse Blues,” are priceless and make the CD a must for anyone who enjoys strong interpretations of classic blues material. The recording closes with two live tracks recorded at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California. After a tasty rendition of Charlie Patton’s, “Some of These Days,” the pair busts out on Magic Sam’s classic, “Lookin’ Good,” a seven and a half minute jumping rendition with extended guitar solos by Rishell and powerhouse harp by Raines.
Given the success of Paul Rishell and Annie Raines previous Tone Cool release, there is a high probability of a reception for Goin’ Home. To learn more about Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, visit their website at www.paulandannie.com or visit the Tone Cool Records website at www.tonecool.com.
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