VARIOUS ARTISTS
In the Pocket (Telarc Blues)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Telarc's blues holdings have grown surprisingly in quantity and quality over the past few years, particularly for a small, independent label that began filling the audiophile niche largely for classical audiences in 1977. This year, Telarc is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and their jazz and blues catalogues are stronger than ever. I'm sure that their classical collection has grown just fine, but I'm just a bluesman and I'll stick with what I know. Signing Tinsley Ellis, Tab Benoit, Jimmy Thackery and Joe Louis Walker certainly has bolstered the ranks of this Cleveland, Ohio-based label's list of outstanding blues guitarists, but there's a lot more to this label than blues guitar. In The Pocket reveals another side of the depth and breadth of the Telarc blues experience. This disc could serve as a Harp 101 textbook for all the style and punch the harp has brought to the blues. Listen to Louisiana's Kenny Neal blow on "Bring It On Home," and feel the mastery of harpmaster emeritus James Cotton as "Lightning" strikes or "Fire Down Under the Hill" burns through the CD. If this disc attracts more people to the source of the song, like the Down the Dirt Road Tribute to Charley Patton, where Snooky Pryor had the "Pony Blues" or Come On This House, featuring Junior Wells' "The Goat," then In The Pocket will definitely help folks discover the treasures in Telarc's blues collection through more than 71 minutes of music. Like Joe Louis Walker's In The Morning, In The Pocket is scheduled for a July 23rd release date.

Track List:

Mighty Fine Boogie/Ronnie Earl and Friends * Knocking at Your Door/ John Primer and Matthew Skoller * T.D.'s Boogie Woogie/ Charlie Musselwhite, Sugar Ray Norcia, Billy Branch and James Cotton * Rock Me Baby/ Annie Raines and Pinetop Perkins * Lightning/James Cotton * I'm a Steady Rollin' Man/Robert Lockwood, Jr. and Carey Bell * In Your Darkest Hour/Charlie Musselwhite * Bring It On Home/Kenny Neal * Muddy's Shuffle/ Jerry Portnoy and the Muddy Waters Tribute Band * The Goat/Junior Wells * Starlight Diamond/Kenny Neal and Lazy Lester * Fire Down Under the Hill/James Cotton * Pony Blues/Snooky Pryor * Harp to Harp/ Charlie Musselwhite, Sugar Ray Norcia, Billy Branch and James Cotton

© 2002 - Eric Steiner