LABOR RECORDS RELEASES ALBUM OF NOTED SONGWRITER/LYRICIST
KENT COOPER WITH PERFORMANCES BY LOUISIANA RED, SONNY TERRY,
GEORGE HIGGS, WILLIE MURPHY, JEMIMA JAMES AND MANY OTHERS
"Cooper's lyrics are heavy gauge. Many a gripping and icy image is conjured up."
-Coda Magazine
Labor Records is pleased to present the new release of a collection of songs by songwriter/lyricist Kent Cooper entitled "The Blues And Other Songs." Cooper's songs, including 7 tracks of recent recordings never issued before, are performed by artists as diverse as Sonny Terry, Louisiana Red, Lefty Dizz, Jemima James, Kristi Johnston, Sugar Blue, Lightnin' Welles, George Higgs, and Willie Murphy. This will be the first in a series of releases that will feature well-known and upcoming artists performing in a wide variety of musical styles, all from the pen of this oft-recorded songwriter.
The CD features several numbers by the great bluesman Louisiana Red, who alone has recorded over 30 of Cooper's songs. Red and Kent Cooper often toured together in the 1970s. Sonny Terry, a close friend of Cooper's, weighs in with two powerful numbers on this first release, "Cold Wind Blowing" and the memorable "Robbin' The Grave." Venerable blues singer George Higgs contributes outstanding performances on "Tar River Flood" and "Black Night Road," both new tracks. Folk/Country singer Jemima James is astonishing in her renditions of "I'd Rather Say Goodbye Right Here" and "I was Better Known For Loving," songs which show the breadth of Cooper's writing. On "Sweet Blood Call," WillieMurphy, the Minneapolis singer/piano man, belts out a remarkable, dynamic version of Cooper's blues standard; a song that has been recorded by artists as diverse as Eric Burdon of the Animals and Texas blues icon Rocky Hill.
In the Sixties Cooper lived in the East Village and was often a backstage guest at the great Apollo Theater blues extravaganzas, that lasted from twelve noon until three in the morning. He went on road trips with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGheeand to clubs and concerts with his friend John Lee Hooker, whenever Hooker appeared in the NYC area. He enjoyed many friendships with the blues luminaries of the day, including Muddy Waters, Lonnie Johnson, Arthur Crudup, Johnny Shines, Roosevelt Sykes, Peg Leg Sam, and Alec Seward, to name a few. He is the author of "The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry" (Oak Publications) and "Standing At Your Door," a blues musical which starred Guy Davis in its l998 opening production.
"A tale of marital woe so harrowing it makes the bardic sophistry of the Geto Boys or Ghostface Killan seem tame by comparison. It's a jaw-dropper." -Spin Magazine
(about Cooper's seminal blues classic "Sweet Blood Call")
(REVIEW / Independent Weekly, Durham, NC www.indyweek.com )
The Blues & Other Songs Vol.1 and 2
Kent Cooper is a man with a bad case of the blues. And while he obviously feels 'em, he's content to write and let others do justice to the tunes. Cooper picks his representatives carefully. Some are big name friends, like Sonny Terry, who Cooper befriended when he moved in next door to the bluesman soon after relocating to New York City from his native Durham. That friendship led to Cooper meeting and writing for some of the biggest names in the blues, including John Lee Hooker and Louisiana Red, who Cooper managed for a time.
Cooper explores earthly delights with Red's help on "Held Up In
One Town:"
"Good God, woman, can't you keep your sweet dress down," Red moans, "cause the wind is blowin' and I can't seem to leave this town."
Sonny Terry, on the other hand, has no problem getting out of town on "Sellin' Out:"
"I'm leavin' out-put my house up for sale/I'm gonna dig up all my bushes, I'm gonna cancel out all my mail," Terry decrees after his woman tells him she's been untrue.
Not all the Cooper tune carriers are household names-yet, Deneen McEachern is at the top of the list, with a delivery worthy of Big Mama Thornton on "Hard Dark Love" and a performance that sounds like Tracy Nelson on "Lover's Lament." Jemima James' sound is more country, full of pain and heartache on "Emergency Call." Her duet with McEachern on "Dog Following Me" is chilling-the two women's voices are so disparate it's like mixing Emmylou Harris with Mavis Staples.
Locals George Higgs and Lightnin' Welles make appearances as well. Welles trots out his banjo for "If She's Gone Bad," a plaintive ditty about a backwoods runaround Sue, while Higgs shows off the form that won him an N.C. Folk Heritage Award on "Somebody Tell Somebody" and "The Unloving Kind."
Cooper's attention to detail, both as a writer and a chooser of talent, makes his blues easy to wake up with.
-Grant Britt / Independent Weekly
(REVIEW / Blues in Britain)
It is unusual to have a recording attributed to someone who is not a recording artist, but a songwriter; but this is the case with Kent Cooper, a writer whose songs have been recorded by a plethora of artists ranging from Sonny Terry to Eric Burdon.
It is not surprising that Cooper's songs have been so widely recorded, as his lyrics display the visual imagery you associate with songs like Estes' 'Floating Bridge', and his melodies appear rooted in a time-warp that incorporates the great years of pre and post war rural and urban blues.
If I were to choose one song on this set that illustrates the depth of Cooper's writing talent, it would have to be 'Sweetblood Call' which incorporates striking lyrics like "roll your eyes pretty girl if you intend to stay, close 'em up again and I'll blow your world away .. I have a hard time listening with my pistol in your mouth, you talk about going north little gal but your brain is staying south". This is sung in gruff, menacing, anguished vocals, by Willie Murphy, over a ponderous rolling piano, a touch of manic humour being added when Murphy starts vocal scatting.
There are six songs by Louisiana Red ranging from 'First Degree', with it's Robert Johnson styled guitar complemented by the harsh intensity of the vocals, to the slow rolling 'A Good Woman', a wonderful Chicago/Delta blues replete with magnificent slide, piano and harp from Johnny Shines, Roosevelt Sykes and Sugar Blue respectively. Red plays some raucous harp over Lefty Dizz's hypnotic downhome guitar riff on 'Stole From Me', whilst he plays propulsive guitar along with Peg Leg Sam's rhythmic harmonica on the train song 'Going Train Blues'.
There are two deep rolling blues from Sonny Terry, 'Cold Wind Blowing' and 'Feel like Robbin' The Grave', both loaded with Terry's distinctive harp and vocals, plus fine piano from Michael Rural, Bob Malenky contributing vocals to the latter track. George Higgs' two tracks, 'Tar River Flood' and 'Black Night Road', are both magnificent performances; dark ominous blues with stark and simple guitar backing, they have lyrics to match, "dark night falling, nothing but evil lips on my soul". Cooper demonstrates the range of his songwriting skills with 'Dirty Dirty Men' by Deneen McEachern, whose deep, strident vocals allied to Sandy Darity's lonesome harp, give this number the feel of a field holler in a striking performance.
The set is rounded out by a loping Sonny & Brownie styled blues from Marc Galbo, a folksy Carolina styled lament from Lightnin' Welles, with the 'other' in the title being two C&W numbers from Jemima James.
The recordings were made between 1974 and 2001, and give a perfect overview of Cooper's vision of the blues. (www.laborrecords.com).
The set obviously comes highly recommended.
Rating 9 / 9
-Mick Rainsford / Blues in Britain
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.laborrecords.comTrack List:
1. Dirty Dirty Men (Deneen McEachern)
2. Bye Bye Baby (Marc Glabo)
3. First Degree (Louisiana Red)
4. Tar River Flood (George Higgs)
5. Sweetblood Call (Willie Murphy)
6. Turkey Killer (Louisiana Red)
7. Cold Wind Blowing (Sonny Terry)
8. Going Train Blues (Peg Leg Sam & Louisiana Red)
9. I'd Rather Say Goodbye Right Here (Jemima James)
10. Recreation Blues (Louisiana Red)
11. Midnight Rambler (Kristi Johnston)
12. Black Night Road (George Higgs)
13. Loving You Is A Slow Way To Die (Lightnin' Welles)
14. Feel Like Robbin' The Grave (Sonny Terry)
15. Stole From Me (Louisiana Red & Lefty Dizz)
16. I was Better Known For Loving (Jemima James)
17. A Good Woman (Louisiana Red & Roosevelt Sykes)
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