Josh White Albums (4)
'Empty Bed Blues'
Release Date 6/24/2003
Tracks 10
Label Sepia Recordings
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Empty Bed Blues was Josh White's farewell recording for Elektra, the record label that helped (re)introduce him to the mainstream during the height of the '60s folk revival. To look at the sexy -- and risqué for 1962 -- cover, one would think that half of the tunes, stately renditions of gospel songs, wouldn't be at home on the album. But considering that the ribald, innuendo-laden first side is belied by White's silky voice and mellifluous guitar, he almost makes the juke-joint rave-ups sound like show tunes. Given his role as elder statesmen of acoustic blues, you'd be forgiven for thinking that White didn't need to be rediscovered as such, but sadly he did. Although considering this album, "reinvented" might be a better word. From the man who popularized "Strange Fruit" -- perhaps the saddest, most poignant protest song ever -- one wouldn't necessarily expect such explicit sex songs. Whether it's a tune like the title track or "Backwater Blues," White reaches back to the lowdown, alpha-male origins of the blues, but comes off a little too much like a cabaret entertainer. His playing retains the delicate precision that found him oft-imitated, and the backing, mostly by just Bill Lee on upright bass, is always tasteful. Still, it's a mellow set, and one partly done with a wink -- considering it was among the last albums that White made before he died. It seems too minstrely of an end for someone who's scope and influence on modern blues can't be overstated. ~ Alex Stimmel, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Josh White went through so many different phases and sounds in his career, that he was virtually a musical chameleon, adapting easily to whatever audiences expected of him in any given decade. Still, the "big band"-style blues embodied on these 1956-vintage recordings may surprise those who only know White from his acoustic sides cut during the folk revival of the later 1950s and early 1960s. His voice -- still an excellent instrument in its own right two decades into his recording career -- and acoustic guitar mesh nicely with a sextet consisting of Jack Fallon (bass), Phil Seamen (drums), Bertie King (alto sax), Fred Hartz (tenor sax), Benny Green (baritone sax), and Kenny Baker (trumpet), on "Kansas City Blues." White gets to show off his skill as a slide guitarist on stripped-down pieces such as "Careless Love" -- a nearly six-minute long acoustic blues showcase -- and his vocal range on the lusty "Oh Lula," and gives a fresh take on "St. Louis Blues," White's guitar and Seamen's drums interweaving rhythmic patterns around his exuberant vocals. This triple-disc set (the other albums represented are Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee's Sonny, Brownie & Chris and Big Bill Broonzy's Tribute to Big Bill) offers about the best sound ever heard on these songs, and the annotation by Neil Slaven is as detailed as one might ever hope for. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
