Having met at a blues festival in Belgium in 2015, Chris Wragg (Mudcats Blues Trio) and Greg Copeland (US Blues artist) have joined forces on Deep in the blood, an album that features a variety of guest spots, including Greg (son of Buddy) Guy on guitar, Shirley (daughter of B. B.) King on vocals, Marcos Coll on Harmonica and Joel White on Hammond Organ. The result is a twelve-track album that ebbs and flows beautifully over its hour-long run time. One of those albums that hooks the listener from the outset and then utterly absorbs them for the duration, it’s a joy to listen to and a delight to review.
Opening with the Buddy Guy-esque Howlin’ for your love, the band set things rolling with a taut stomp and a gritty vocal that instantly draws the listener in. It’s a cracking track and the warm, organic production is enough to make you think you’ve journeyed back a decade or five, to the days when the blues was tracked straight to tape in a small live room, the amps humming and the acrid scent of sweat from the heat of the performance permeating the building. It’s a great start, the chemistry between the musicians entirely natural, and it leads neatly into five long years, a track that opens with some superlative guitar work reminiscent of Hendrix before Greg’s beautifully worn vocal emerges to steal the show. A brilliant piece of call-and-response, the way that Chris and Greg trade lines here, from Chris’s stinging guitar to Greg’s vocal, is just perfect and the track flies by in a fraction of its run time. The pace slows a touch on the dusty, southern blues of my name is the horizon, a piece that recalls Bob Dylan’s underrated tempest, not to mention Tom Waits, and the way the band work up the atmosphere is nothing short of a delight. Despite a title that suggests an excursion into balladry, Tears won’t fall opens with a cry of “lord have mercy” before the track emerges as a nimble shuffle reminiscent of Eric Clapton’s work with J.J.Cale. With Marcos’ rich harmonica providing a neat contrast to the gritty guitar, tears won’t fall is the album’s second highlight in a row and further evidence of the band’s ability to turn the blues in whichever direction they so choose. Things take a heavier turn on Deep in the blood, a gritty, mid-tempo grind built around a riff that blazes with barely-restrained fire. It leaves If you ever leave me to round out the album’s first half, with a brilliant guest spot from Shirley King, whose gritty vocal has more than a touch of Muddy Waters and her ecstatic cry of “c’mon Chris, play the blues for me” is a perfect echo of her late father’s warmth and spontaneity.
Kicking off the second half, Chris lays into his guitar with gusto on I’ll cut you down, delivering the album’s most ecstatic solo before Greg Guy emerges on Soho Shakedown to display his father’s tendency to steal the scene wherever he goes. As with the Shirly King cameo, the emphasis here is upon great musicians simply enjoying the opportunity to play in one another’s company, and the piece carries with it that same communal vibe that is evidenced on the all-star jams of the Crossroads shows. An instrumental that is guaranteed to leave a smile on the face, Soho Shakedown is a tune that’ll have them dancing in the aisles, before the blues come down hard on why are you so cold with me, a horn-soaked gem of a track that evokes the scent of spilled whiskey and prohibition-era Speakeasies. My business ain’t superstition is a slinky number with a Blues Breakers vibe before the delightful Shirley King returns for the brilliantly soulful house of prayer, an addictive track with handclap rhythms and fantastic vocal interplay between Shirley and Greg. And then, with distressing speed, you’ve reached the end of the album and the acoustic trouble is cleaning the bar and ushering the clientele out, blinking into the daylight, their wallets empty and their hearts alive with song. It’s an elegant and slightly poignant conclusion that brings the album to a perfect close and it leaves the listener very much hoping that the collaboration will be repeated.
Make no mistake, this is a brilliant blues record, full of heart and clearly in thrall to the form. The production, the performances, the chemistry of the members – it all gels perfectly, paying tribute to the genre and playing like the perfect night out in a packed bar, with all the highs and lows of friendship, life, love and laughter played out in just fifty short minutes. If you buy only one blues record this year, make it this absolute gem of an album because it truly is a beautiful and life-affirming body of work. 10
