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- Date Released: May 13, 2008
- Genre: Blues
- Style: Contemporary Blues
- Label: Stony Plain Records / The Orchard
A legendary guitarist plays homage to his blues muse.
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We Say...
Amos Garrett waited a long time to make this homage to one of America’s greatest blues singer-songwriters. He first was introduced to the Percy Mayfield’s body of work in the early '70s, and has often claimed that the man known as the “poet laureate” of the blues influenced his burnished vocal stylizations more than any other performer.
Mayfield knew whereof he sang; his career was derailed by a car accident in 1952 after he’d scored his most memorable and breakthrough hit for Specialty two years earlier, the heartfelt “Please Send Me Someone to Love.” Percy specialized in doom-laden lyrics — witness “Life Is Suicide” or the tragic "Lost Mind,” but nothing could have prepared him for the facial scarring that robbed him of his looks, or the downslide of his performing career that followed after that cataclysmic crash. Luckily, Mayfield continued composing and Ray Charles took his “Hit the Road, Jack” — among others — to the top of the charts; Charles also gave him a home on his Tangerine label, where he was able, in the mid-60s, to record with Charles’ band and return to R&B favor.
Garrett’s laid-back readings of Mayfield’s oeuvre step lithely around his best-known hits and his bleak intensity. Except for the invisible-man alienation of “Stranger in My Hometown,” Garrett uses Percy’s songs more as formal blues settings, transcending their pain with the fluidity and ease of his guitar playing. Garrett is best known for That Solo in “Midnight at the Oasis,” and as a guitarist he has a deft touch and a sleek, clear tone that makes me wish he had done more six-string stretching out on this album. Still, the solo flight in “Fading Love” is beautifully constructed and played, as is the nimble fingering in “Ha Ha in the Daytime,” and when he hands off after a chorus to sax player Dave Babcock, the effect is smooth and sophisticated; it's very much in the manner of much of Mayfield’s work, which was led in his golden era by saxophonist Maxwell Davis.
“My Jug and I” is later period Percy, all drinkin’ and a–winkin’, but Amos’ version of “Get Way Back,” which Mayfield recorded in 1953, retains a poignancy that bears proper witness to Mayfield’s fall from grace, and ultimate redemption. “The River’s Invitation,” in Percy’s version rife with the anguish of abandonment, here takes on a more redemptive, baptismal feel. RSVP. -
They Say...
This is a very logical release. Amos Garrett is a veteran singer and guitarist who has a storytelling style that crosses over between the blues and folk music. Probably not as famous as he should be considering that Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis" and Anne Murray's "Snowbird" feature his guitar playing, Garrett has contributed to many other artists' recordings but fortunately has also recorded regularly as a leader for Stony Plain. He has a very attractive baritone voice and a fluent guitar style. Percy Mayfield was one of the great blues songwriters. He will always be immortal due to having penned "Please Send Me Someone to Love," but he also wrote many other worthy numbers. On Get Way Back, Garrett performs 11 of Mayfield's better songs (skipping "Please Send Me"), including "Stranger in My Own Hometown," "River's Invitation," and a song often sung by Mose Allison, "Lost Mind." Despite his own personal misfortunes and the darkness of many of these songs, Mayfield's music is open to a variety of interpretations and Garrett's versions have some witty and very human moments. Accompanied by a top-notch combo, Amos Garrett is in top form throughout this inspired outing.
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
My Jug and I |
2:55 |  |
| 02. | |
Pretty Eyed Baby |
5:47 | |
| 03. | |
Stranger In My Own Hometown |
3:15 | |
| 04. | |
Never Say Naw |
4:21 | |
| 05. | |
The Country |
4:23 | |
| 06. | |
To Claim It's Love |
5:53 | |
| 07. | |
River's Invitation |
3:46 | |
| 08. | |
Fading Love |
5:54 | |
| 09. | |
Get Way Back |
2:39 | |
| 10. | |
Ha Ha In The Daytime |
6:08 | |
| 11. | |
Lost Mind |
2:25 | |
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Credits
- Amos Garrett - Guitar // Amos Garrett - Guitar // Amos Garrett - Guitar // Amos Garrett - Vocals // Amos Garrett - Vocals // Amos Garrett - Vocals // Amos Garrett - Producer // Amos Garrett - Producer // Amos Garrett - Producer // Amos Garrett - Liner Notes // Amos Garrett - Liner Notes // Amos Garrett - Liner Notes // Amos Garrett - Author // Amos Garrett - Author // Amos Garrett - Author // Amos Garrett - Mixing // Amos Garrett - Mixing // Amos Garrett - Mixing // Amos Garrett - Photography // Amos Garrett - Photography // Amos Garrett - Photography // Dave Babcock - Sax (Baritone) // Dave Babcock - Sax (Tenor) // Dave Babcock - Horn Arrangements // Holger Petersen - Executive Producer // Ken Whiteley - Piano // Nik Tjelios - Engineer // Victor Bateman - String Bass // Ron Casat - Organ (Hammond) // Bucky Berger - Drums // Michael Dangelmaier - Design // Allistair Elliott - Trumpet
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