CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE
Sanctuary (Real World)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Charlie Musselwhite's debut on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records, Sanctuary, will be released on April 6th, and he'll also hit the road to support his 34th album in a career that spans 40 years in the blues. After a Spring tour, he'll join Shemekia Copeland and Dr. John on the road in the Fall. Sanctuary is a dozen songs that wander around the darker side of the blues, with Musselwhite's melancholy harp wrapping itself around original blues and covers of songs from the likes of Sonny Landreth, Eddie Harris, Townes Van Zandt, and Randy Newman, among others. Savoy Brown's "Train to Nowhere" is one of the many standouts on Sanctuary, backed by the Blind Boys of Alabama (another blues act that's found a home with Real World). Musselwhite's band for Sanctuary includes guitarist Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan's road band), and the rhythm section of Jared Michael Nickerson (NYC funk/jazz Burnt Sugar) on bass and Michael Jerome (Pleasure Club, Richard Thompson) on drums, and for a unit that hadn't played together before, this band nails Charlie's understated approach to the blues. Let Charlie help you find sanctuary in the blues.

Track List:

Homeless Child * My Road Lies in Darkness * Burn Down the Cornfield * Train to Nowhere * Shootin' for the Moon * Shadow People * Snake Song * The Neighborhood * Alicia * Sanctuary * I Had Trouble * Route 19 (Attala County, Mississippi)

[Pick this up at womadshop.com.]

© 2004 - Eric Steiner