I am continually amazed by what I don't know about the blues. Take Toshi Reagon, you would think that I would have heard of someone with her talent and background. But it took a prompting from one my online friend RocketM.
Check out how she kills this Howlin Wolf song, Smoke Stack Lightning.
You can read about her at Toshi Reagon.com.
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5 comments:
Out howlin howlin. I just spent quite a few minutes sampling her albums. Thanks for the tip. Trying to resist buying them all.
Holy crap! Big Mama Thorton reincarnated!
Out-howling Howlin' ? Do you mean Howlin' Wolf ? C'mon, this version by Toshi is a very tame flat-affect echo of the song as done by originator The Mighty Howlin' Wolf and for that matter, others who covered it.
I don't say this just because Wolf was my close friend and music teacher ( see www.howlingwolfphotos.com for the story, and 99 photos of Wolf at home, in concert and rare portraits )
Just now, Googling "smokestack lightning covers" got http://www.google.com/search?q=smokestack+lightning+covers+youtube+&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7RNWN
I don't know when I will have time to check out all the "20,700" choices in that search, not all of course will be actual covers but whatever got included, but I am sure there's gonna be some decent ones. But to say out-howlin' Howlin' ?
I'm happy Toshi Reagan chose to do the song, however, and pay tribute to her influences. She does have nice talent and material in her body of work, and that this blog promoted it. Regards, SGS.
je-sus! she kills it. thank you for this post. "flat-affect echo"?! i don't think so.
Everybody, thanks so much for commenting on this. I am glad to see such a spirited discussion.
I have to say that I posted this because I really do feel that Toshi Reagon is very talented.
I think she does a great job on this song. But she is not really a blues artist and it is kind of unfair to compare her to a legendary master bluesman like Howlin' Wolf. A founding member of the Chicago blues sound, who had a full life and career, while Toshi Reagon is just embarking on what I hope is a wonderful career.
I try to stay away from making comparisons of who does a song better, because that is very subjective and because I think that each musician is different and brings something special to their performances.
It really comes down to this, you either like it or you don't and in this case I like it!
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