The Barometer Online

Charlie Musselwhite Sanctuary Real World Records Grade: B+ [Click to enlarge]

Ben Harper has been getting around in the music scene a lot lately, with appearances on albums by Toots and The Maytals and John Lee Hooker. This time he's lent his talents to Sanctuary, the superb new album by old-time blues artist Charlie Musselwhite, and his first album for Real World Records.

Sanctuary is a collection of both cover songs and originals by Musselwhite, and is his 33rd album. Musselwhite began playing in the South back in the '50s, and later migrated to Chicago where he played with greats including Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.

For Sanctuary, Musselwhite put together the Sanctuary Band, a talented group that backs him on every track. The band even features Charlie Sexton, lead guitarist on Bob Dylan's tours for the last two years.

Most of the songs on the album are just Musselwhite and the Sanctuary Band. The only thread that connects all the songs is the darkness of them.

That's not to say that the CD is dark and depressing -- the songs were chosen more to reflect the personal themes that have been a part of Musselwhite's life.

"My Road Lies in Darkness," is one of the originals on the album, and it is a perfect, slow, bass-stepping blues song. Unlike many of the songs on Sanctuary, Musselwhite's harmonica line is much more in the background of the music than his vocals, though, of course, he does take the time to solo.

"Burn Down the Cornfield," a Randy Newman cover, is played slow, and with an obvious beat, but the song cannot be classified as any one style. "Burn Down the Cornfield," is closer to a spoken word track, with minor musical backing.

The title track, "Sanctuary," is another of the slower songs. It is a fantastic Musselwhite original, in part because of the extra guitar part played by Ben Harper.

Harper's only other guest appearance on Sanctuary is on one of his own songs that Musselwhite chose to cover, "Homeless Child."

However, Harper isn't the only guest on the album. Musselwhite also gets contributions from The Blind Boys of Alabama for two songs.

The first, "Train to Nowhere," a song by Chris Youlden and Kim Simmonds, is a very traditional-sounding Southern song. Musselwhite sings in an almost-whisper and the background vocals and music really make it feel like a train ride.

The second song, "I Had Trouble," is another Musselwhite original. It is the story of a man that turned from love to blues, and, appropriately, the electric guitar is given the lead part for the song.

"I Had Trouble," is also one of the few songs on the record that takes up a fast pace. "Shootin' for the Moon," a Sonny Landreth song, is another of the more uptempo cuts. A dual lead in the song is taken by the harmonica and electric guitar, making this song one of the best on the album.

For anyone who hasn't heard of Charlie Musselwhite before, now is a great time to start. Sanctuary is not an album that will fill you with joy; it's much too dark for that. It is a true blues album, however, so why should happiness have anything to do with it?

Robin Canfield is a Diversions writer for The Daily Barometer. He can be reached at canfielr@onid.orst.edu.

Article Tools