May 2003-CD Reviews

Kenny Brown: Stingray - Fat Possum

Hailing from North Mississippi, Kenny Brown has played most of the Delta Blues Festivals and has become a prominent fixture with blues fans in his hometown of Selma, Alabama. Over the years, he has worked with blues legends R.L. Burnside, Mojo Bufford, Joe Callicott, Missippi Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough, and many others.

On Kenny’s first release, 1997’s Goin’ Back To Mississippi, the group’s line-up was Kenny on guitar, Terrence “T-Money” Bishop on bass, J. Farrell Bonds on drums, and Dale Beavers on guitar and vocals. The band now consists of Kenny on guitar and vocals, Cendric Burnside (R.L. Burnside’s Grandson) on drums, and Takeeshi Imura on bass. For their new recording, Stingray – the band’s debut for Fat Possum – Kenny also brings in a congregation of local musicians for a more complete sound. While Brown has always had affection for late-1960s Rolling Stones, it has never been quite as apparent as it is now. The songs on this disc would have easily fit on Exile On Main Street as Brown vacillates between simple acoustic blues and hard driving Rock & Roll. In fact, Kenny Brown’s voice sounds so similar to Jagger’s that, if you didn’t know any better, you would swear these were lost Stones recordings. Even so, this is a blues record through and through. Three songs come from longtime friend R.L. Burnside (“Miss Maybelle,” the frantic shuffle “Goin’ Down South,” and “Shake ‘Em on Down”), while most of the rest are traditional, including the roaring “France Chance” and “Cocaine Bill.” Despite the Jagger/Richards comparison, Kenny Brown successfully captures the essence of Delta inspired blues on many tunes. With a nice balance of electric and acoustic slide playing, Stingray is a comprehensive piece of work.” - Tony Engelhart

© 2003