Hard Luck Child: A Tribute to Skip James in Bloomington, MN

Rory Block
is simply one of the finest living interpreters of vintage acoustic blues, a guitarist who understands both the technique and the spirit of the great country blues artists of the '20s and '30s. As a teenager,
Block
had the good fortune to meet some of the founding fathers of the country blues, and her "Mentor Series" has found her recording songs by some of these pioneering artists. 2014's
Hard Luck Child: A Tribute to Skip James
is the fifth album in the series, and features solo acoustic performances of nine songs from
James
's songbook, as well as one original tune, "Nehemiah James," penned by
and based on
' life story.
's guitar work on this album is typically splendid, capturing the rudiments of
Skip James
' style while adding just enough of her own personality that the listener can see not just what
learned from
, but how it evolved when it was fused with her own musical thinking. (
does appear to occasionally beef up her picking with some discreet overdubs, but the overall effect feels comfortable and organic.)
is a guitarist first and a vocalist second, but on
Hard Luck Child
her voice is in fine form, and she brings a confidence and subtle emotional force to "Devil Got My Woman," "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues," and "I'm So Glad" that mirror her understanding of this music.
was recorded in
's home, and engineer
Rob Davis
does excellent work here, giving
's guitar and vocals an intimate presence that suggests an updated, high-fidelity version of
'78s for
Paramount
.
is an album that honors the legacy of
while confirming that
is one of the few artists in contemporary blues who can not only play his music well, but understands the ideas behind it as well as the art; for fans of acoustic blues, this is highly recommended. ~ Mark Deming