Search - Ed Bell :: Complete Recorded Works (1927-30)

Unique country blues

Ryan Waldron | 01/09/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ed Bell used a unique guitar style that is more riff-based, rather than always following the standard blues chord changes. The first four tracks on this CD from Bell's first session are, in my opinion, quite stellar. Each features a memorable melody and a distinctive guitar part. The remaining tracks are a bit more of a mixed bag, especially as regards sound quality. Like a lot of other blues artists, there is a fair bit of musical repetition. However, there is enough variety to keep me interested through most of the running time. Some songs feature Clifford Gibson on guitar, who played in a more urban type of style. Other tracks recylcle the melody and guitar part from the first track, "Mamlish Blues. I'm quite fond of the 8 bar folk song called "She's a fool" that appears a few times that sounds like something John Hurt or Mance Lipscomb would play. The two tracks at the end by Pillie Bolling are a nice addition. Pillie plays and sings in a relaxed, up-beat kind of style."