Search - Townes Van Zandt :: Delta Momma Blues (Dig)

One of TVZ's best...

B. Bowman | Jersey, United States | 02/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own all of Townes Van Zandt's albums and would rank "Delta Momma Blues" as one of the best in his catalog of recorded work. In my opinion Townes' songs benefitted greatly from his fingerpicked guitar playing, which was all too often buried in overproduced mixes in his studio recordings. This was not the case with "Delta Momma Blues", which features Townes' guitar prominently. This album also contains some of his strongest songwriting collected on one release. I was only to find out years after first hearing this disc that the "Delta Momma" Townes refers to on the title track was his nickname for the DM in Robitussin DM, a tribute to his penchant for pounding bottles of the stuff to get high off of the codiene in the cough syrup. Not a great role model by any means, but that's TVZ! "Only Him or Me" is classic Townes, I don't think it gets articulated any better than lines like "You're gonna drown tomorrow if you cry too many tears for yesterday". "Tower Song" is also classic Townes, a song that he said he thought he wrote for someone else but later realized he could have written about himself. Songs like these speak volumes about the man and his talent for the written word. "Brand New Companion" is one of Townes' best original blues songs, he channels Lightnin' Hopkins with his own brand of laid back drive, and the harmonica part is excellent. "Where I Lead Me" is Townes' driving salute to life on the road, and totally rocks. The album closes with two of my favorite of TVZ's songs: "Rake", which upon first listen sounds autobiographical but after repeated listens sounds like some kind of vampire biography, and "Nothin", which was the song that first turned me on to Townes' music. I can't think of another song that displays the great guitar playing and lyrics of Townes better than the way "Nothin" does; he creates a mood of despair and melancholy on this one that is comparable only to the works of blues legends like Skip James and Robert Johnson. This album's mix of folk, blues, and country styles may explain why Townes didn't achieve mainstream success during the years he recorded this and his five other early albums, but listening to it now it doesn't sound like he's genre hopping, it just sounds like Townes. I would recommend this disc to any newcomer to his music. The liner notes make the good point that although Townes had a habit of re-recording songs from this period in later life, he rarely ever re-recorded the ones on this album, indicating that he really nailed them. I would have to agree."

The Great Townes Van Zandt

Sonata Clark | 02/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Townes Van Zandt's simple melodies along with truley honest lyrics is what makes Him a true treasure amoungst Singer/Songwriters. Although His isn't well know, fans like myself can't imagine music without Him. With songs like 'Rake', 'FFV' and 'Tower Song', Van Zandt delivers a combination of love, pain and every emotion presented in numberous methods meant to invoke thoughts about one's own life. This record is bound to become an instant favorite in your collection."