MISSISSIPPI MACDONALD
I Got What You Need
APM Records, APMR024
Mississippi MacDonald is Oliver MacDonald —Olly to his friends. He’s an English singer and guitarist from London. His nickname, Mississippi, was given to him by his buddies when he was a student, due to his unique desire to go to Chicago to visit the clubs where Muddy Waters used to play, as well as for his enthusiasm for the music of the American South. Like John Mayall and probably many others, his deep-rooted passion came from being viscerally captivated while listening to his parents’ music collection, which included B.B. King, Al Green, recordings of classic American blues, and soul artists.
The winner of two UK Blues Awards in 2024, MacDonald now presents I Got What You Need, his sixth solo album. The styles are varied and well-executed. It opens energetically with I Got What You Need, the title track — a shuffle with biting ice-picking guitar reminiscent of Albert Collins. He continues with We’re Gonna Make It, a danceable R&B track with a Memphis Soul Blues horn section. This song was a number-one hit in 1965 for Little Milton
It quickly becomes clear that MacDonald is a powerful singer with plenty of soul and an incisive, intense, and fluid guitarist. His band is nothing less than solid and dynamic. In Stop! Think About It, the slow blues track that follows and one of his four compositions, we can fully appreciate his passionate, incandescent vocals, merging with his guitar playing, which carries a sense of urgent imperativeness. It’s a perfect fusion of high emotional intensity. At this point, it becomes evident that we are dealing with a talented, driven blues musician —an exceptional artist, in short.
His top-tier band consists of Eliott Boughen on bass, Jim Kimberly on drums, and Phil Dearing on guitar, keyboards, and album production. Lucie Randall on backing vocals completes this skilled and cohesive unit.
This nine-track album, with its diverse content, also includes two instrumentals, two ballads, and a well-rendered gospel track. It features the classic If I Could Only Hear My Mother Pray Again, previously performed by artists like Mahalia Jackson. His performance, along with that of his band, is solid and convincing.
The album concludes with Your Dreams, an original composition by MacDonald with spiritual undertones. The song offers simplicity and authenticity in its lyrics, with guitar playing that expresses the inexpressible.
This album, crafted with taste and expertise, delivers a diverse, well-balanced, and flawless result. I have a special fondness for this excellent album.
… other reviews to follow shortly !
