Mark Bird Stafford - Live At the Delta

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2013
Time:52:20 
Size:120,6 MB 
Label:Self-Released 
Styles:Blues/Chicago Blues/Harmonica Blues/Ensemble Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Pretty Baby (Live) - 4:39
 2. Born Blind (Live) - 4:14
 3. Juke Ish (Live) - 4:54
 4. Mellow Down Easy (Live) - 4:02
 5. Sloppy Drunk Blues (Live) - 5:26
 6. I Found Joy (Live) - 4:33
 7. I Don't Know (Live) - 3:53
 8. Got Love If You Want It (Live) - 4:42
 9. Can't Hold Out Much Longer (Live) - 5:39
10. It's Too Late Brother (Live) - 4:53
11. Up the Line (Live) - 5:20

Mark “Bird” Stafford brings you greetings from north of the border! He may be from Canada, but his skill in U.S. blues - especially the harmonica - is especially solid. His latest release, “Live at the Delta,” proves it via eleven covers of songs by genre masters. As for “Bird” himself, he’s a key fixture on the Canadian blues scene, and has been since he got his start with Hock Walsh (Downchild Blues Band) in the mid ‘80’s at the Pine Tree jams. He‘s one of the most hardworking musicians on that scene today. “Live at the Delta” refers not to the famous area of Mississippi, but to the Delta Chelsea Hotel, at which this album was recorded. Accompanying him on July 19th, 2012 were Aaron Griggs and Fabio Parovel on guitar, drummer Tyler Burgess, and Dennis Pinhorn on upright bass. Even though none of the three tracks below is original, Stafford’s take on them is doubtlessly energetic:
Track 02: “Born Blind” - Sonny Boy Williamson composed this ballad of a diva who “brings eyesight to the blind” once the lights are low. In “Bird’s” hands, his harmonica soars, making his live audience and listeners at home sit up and pay attention. It’s also a classic example of Chicago blues, with a shuffling style that’s sometimes called “lump-de-lump.” Although it possesses a medium tempo, “Born Blind” is great for dancing as well.
Track 05: “Sloppy Drunk Blues” - Why does Jimmy Rogers want to become completely inebriated? He and Stafford share this rationale: “You start talking, but I’m drinking. You’re not talking about anything at all.” Jaunty guitar and howling harp characterize this number, which is a rebuttal of the ‘please drink responsibly’ messages in today’s advertisements for alcohol.
Track 07: “I Don’t Know” - When Mark sings Sonny Boy Williamson’s famous catchphrase mentioned in the title, he sounds like an irritated student who’s had it up to here with his teacher’s endless queries. Here, he can’t figure out where his lover is or “why she disappoint me so.” Bad news surely lies ahead, but for now, Bird is getting no answers - only a single annoying question. Aaron Griggs’ mid-song guitar solo is as hot as sriracha sauce!
In the liner notes to this CD, Stafford comments: “As I read through the credits, I realize that it is heavy on the ‘Greats of the Blues,’ and I am totally OK with that. After all, this is what I do, and this album is a slice of that.” With this said, “Live at the Delta” is worth a listen for his harp skills and foundational blues musicianship.
Reviewer Rainey Wetnight is a 33 year old female Blues fan. She brings the perspective of a younger blues fan to reviews. A child of 1980s music, she was strongly influenced by her father’s blues music collection.

Live At the Delta