“Mermaids is an intimate affair filled to the brim with authentic versions of Mississippi John Hurt’s catalog. Harpe’s fingerstyle acoustic playing is delightful while Countryman’s simple and sympathetic basslines form a seamless and joyful bed while her expressive and occasionally sassy vocal style make for quite agreeable company... it kind of warms the heart, ya know? This record sounds and feels fresh and nostalgic at the same time – not a bad thing for a blues album.”
Full review:
****
The latest album from this award winning Boston based blues artist and educator along with her husband Jim Countryman on acoustic bass is a thing of elegant, simple beauty. Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me is just voice and guitar, allowing the songs to greet you with open arms.
Mermaids, in a way, feels like one of the many Rory Block albums in my collection, even Maria Muldaur… in fact Erin’s voice reminds me very much of them. “When I listen to the blues it makes me want to cry – it’s a part of me” Erin says. She counts Mississippi John Hurt as one of her greatest influences, so it’s only right that she would salute his work in such a sparse, beguiling way. That this disc is called “an album of joyous music made for desperate times” is right on the money.
If you’re a fan of Hurt’s you’ll recognize numbers like Casey Jones and Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor but if you’re not familiar with his stuff, Mermaids might be the way ease yourself into his music. Mermaids is an intimate affair filled to the brim with authentic versions of Mississippi John Hurt’s catalog. Harpe’s fingerstyle acoustic playing is delightful while Countryman’s simple and sympathetic basslines form a seamless and joyful bed while her expressive and occasionally sassy vocal style make for quite agreeable company... it kind of warms the heart, ya know? This record sounds and feels fresh and nostalgic at the same time- not a bad thing for a blues album.
HOT TRACKS: Frankie, Casey Jones, Nobody’s Dirty Business
(Written by John Kereiff.)