Love Changin' Blues (Remastered) - Single

This is a nice collection of country blues material from the late '40s, even including a track by blues guitarist Jimmy Rogers, which is tacked onto the end of the second side because it was in the same series of master numbers as the Memphis Minnie session. Fans of Rogers, whose style of blues is quite different than the artists who are mainly featured here, may not even know that this track is lurking quietly in this collection, but the Rogers piece was later folded into other anthologies by this artist. Chances are good the sidemen on this track include Muddy Waters and Little Walter. Both McTell and Memphis Minnie were somewhat advanced guitarists whose playing style owed much to ragtime and swing jazz as well as blues. This gives their music a lighter feel than, for example, the Delta blues influence of Rogers and his partners. The McTell tracks were pretty much discoveries when they were first reissued here, and in some cases are new versions of songs he had recorded, the performances so different that some listeners may not even recognize the originals. He is accompanied by Curly Weaver, playing a regular six-string, while McTell cleanly picks and strums his 12-string, coming up with a sound that is at times similar to Leadbelly but involves much more variation in accompanying figures and seemingly more spontaneous decisions. The Minnie tracks come from Chicago, where this unusual blues artist did most of her recording, creating a legacy as one of the few proficient female blues guitarists. She has the backing of a small band and, although the bass and drums are not identified and verge on inaudible to boot, the pianist is the superb Sunnyland Slim. There are two different versions of her "Night Watchman Blues," and the completely different guitar solos should serve as an explanation of why alternate takes are sometimes fun to have. By compact disc standards, the amount of material here seems a bit on the slim side.