{"id":43621,"date":"2024-12-17T13:56:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T18:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/?p=43621"},"modified":"2024-12-18T13:15:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T18:15:05","slug":"the-blues-december-2024-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/fr\/en\/the-blues-december-2024-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blues – December 2024, part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

MISSISSIPPI MACDONALD
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span>I Got What You Need<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\nAPM Records, APMR024<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mississippi<\/em> MacDonald<\/strong> is Oliver MacDonald<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014Olly<\/strong> to his friends. He\u2019s an English singer and guitarist from London. His nickname, Mississippi,<\/em> 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<\/strong> used to play, as well as for his enthusiasm for the music of the American South. Like John Mayall<\/strong> and probably many others, his deep-rooted passion came from being viscerally captivated while listening to his parents\u2019 music collection, which included B.B.\u00a0King<\/strong>, Al Green<\/strong>, recordings of classic American blues, and soul artists.<\/p>\n

The winner of two UK Blues Awards<\/em> in 2024, MacDonald<\/strong> now presents I Got What You Need,<\/em> his sixth solo album. The styles are varied and well-executed. It opens energetically with I Got What You Need,<\/em> the title track\u00a0\u2014 a shuffle with biting ice-picking<\/em> guitar reminiscent of Albert Collins<\/strong>. He continues with We\u2019re Gonna Make It,<\/em> a danceable R&B<\/em> track with a Memphis Soul Blues<\/em> horn section. This song was a number-one hit in\u00a01965 for Little Milton<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It quickly becomes clear that MacDonald<\/strong> is a powerful singer with plenty of soul<\/em> and an incisive, intense, and fluid guitarist. His band is nothing less than solid and dynamic. In Stop! Think About It,<\/em> 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\u2019s a perfect fusion of high emotional intensity. At this point, it becomes evident that we are dealing with a talented, driven blues musician\u00a0\u2014an exceptional artist, in short.<\/p>\n

His top-tier band consists of Eliott Boughen<\/strong> on bass, Jim Kimberly<\/strong> on drums, and Phil Dearing<\/strong> on guitar, keyboards, and album production. Lucie Randall<\/strong> on backing vocals completes this skilled and cohesive unit.<\/p>\n

This nine-track album, with its diverse content, also includes two instrumentals, two ballads, and a well-rendered gospel<\/em> track. It features the classic If I Could Only Hear My Mother Pray Again,<\/em> previously performed by artists like Mahalia<\/strong> Jackson<\/strong>. His performance, along with that of his band, is solid and convincing.<\/p>\n

The album concludes with Your Dreams,<\/em> an original composition by MacDonald<\/strong> with spiritual<\/em> undertones. The song offers simplicity and authenticity in its lyrics, with guitar playing that expresses the inexpressible.<\/p>\n

This album, crafted with taste and expertise, delivers a diverse, well-balanced, and flawless result. I have a special fondness for this excellent album.<\/p>\n