“a magnificent tribute to the great bluesman Mississippi John Hurt.”
“Often compared to Memphis Minnie or Bonnie Raitt, Boston singer and guitar player Erin Harpe is one of the most promising artists of actual country and roots blues. Elegant but at the same time full of charisma, Erin has a perfect voice to sing these styles, or in other words, she is a true ‘songster’.
It is a real pleasure to listen to this beautiful recording, developed with an extreme good taste, sensitivity and a much love and respect to Mississippi John Hurt’s music, along ten songs that become totally delightful for the ears of those of you who want to remember that legendary bluesman who was Mississippi John Hurt, this time displayed by the subtle voice of a woman called Erin Harpe.”
Full review:
Often compared to Memphis Minnie or Bonnie Raitt, Boston singer and guitar player Erin Harpe is one of the most promising artists of actual country and roots blues. Elegant but at the same time full of charisma, Erin has a perfect voice to sing these styles, or in other words, she is a true ‘songster’. Besides working as a producer, she owns an independent label, composes and leads the electric blues quartet Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers together with her husband, bass player and label co-owner, Jim Countryman.
This album is a magnificent tribute to the great bluesman Mississippi John Hurt. According to Erin Harpe, since she was a little girl, she loved and was caught by Mississippi John Hurt’s music, listening to her father play Hurt’s songs around the house. As a teenager she learned to play several of his songs and knew all the secrets of Hurt’s guitar technique. So, when she was invited to play to raise funds for the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation, she immediately accepted. To prepare the song set list, she started to review Hurt’s discography, remembering with nostalgia the times she used to listen to his father performing all those songs. In fact, her father, Neil Harpe, is active and still performs them in his live shows, so he has been a great help and inspiration to do the recording.
Erin produced and has done all the album arrangements, together with her husband Jim Countryman. It is a real pleasure to listen to this beautiful recording, developed with an extreme good taste, sensitivity and a much love and respect to Mississippi John Hurt’s music, along ten songs that become totally delightful for the ears of those of you who want to remember that legendary bluesman who was Mississippi John Hurt, this time displayed by the subtle voice of a woman called Erin Harpe.
(Written by Vicente Zúmel.)