Old Gray Mule
No Sleep ‘Til Memphis
Independent
Texan CR Humphrey,
aka Old Gray Mule, proves he’s not one to sit idly by, releasing his fifth cut,
No Sleep ‘Til Memphis a mere nine
months after late 2012’s Like A Apple On
A Tree. With this new one, he also proves that there’s more to boogie blues
than meets the eye – this is an evolution.
Bringing in
drummer JJ Wilburn and enlisting a range of guests, Humphrey this time uses
boogie as a base form which to build. They inject a gospel feel to the vocals
of ‘Funkyard Dog/Stay With Me’; the hip hop lyrical addition on ‘My Lyin’ Ass’
(courtesy of MCs Manateemann and dR K@OS) works surprisingly well; the acoustic
treatment of ‘Howlin’’, courtesy of the sublime Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes, is a
masterstroke; and the psychedelic stretch of ‘Lyrics By J-Dub’ caps off a
winner. This is a blues party of a record at its heart, but CR is evolving
solidly as he powers ahead.
3.5/5
Samuel J. Fell
Old Gray Mule are currently on tour in Australia - check out tour dates, and more info on the band, here.
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