CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE
Continental Drifter (Pointblank)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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Move over Ry Cooder, here comes Charlie muscling in on the Cuban music appropriation craze. You have to muddle through several standard bluesy tracks on "Continental Drifter" to get to the goods, but pressing the skip button has never been so rewarding. Four breezy tracks recorded with Eliades Ochoa's Cuarteto Patria will have you snapping for the cabin boy and his endless supply of umbrella drinks from the confines of your hammock. Musselwhite's languid vocals are perfect for the occasion, and his harmonica playing doesn't sound outta place in the least. This is the most flavour Charlie's ever been able to muster in a long and distinguished career. Too bad it only lasts a third of the record.

© 1999 - John Sekerka