Alan Lomax recordings: Southern Journey  Without a doubt, the most important release so far this year, if not the most important  since the Muddy Waters Chess Box is the set of albums that Rounder Records has entitled "Southern Journey ", which is made up of field recordings made by Alan Lomax. There are supposed to be a gizillion of these cds eventually from Lomax's recordings in many genres all over the world (by one account 100 discs!), but right  now the initial release is made up of six discs. All of the Southern Journey discs will be released by June, 1998 and there will be 13 albums from this series. There are both black and white musicians, singing the country folk tunes and blues, and preachers and choirs in churchs, and prisoners singing church songs, blues and field hollers. Let's face it there is no one who has done a more complete and faithful documentation of American folk music than Alan Lomax and his recordings have been carefully compiled in at least these six discs. For example, Volume 3, "61 Highway: Delta Country Blues, Spirituals, Work Songs & Dance Music" presents some raw boned and true to the heart blues like you haven't heard since, well, if you haven't been down on a porch in the hot Delta summer, maybe you haven't never heard this kind of stuff before. Rose Hemphill's version of "Rollin & Tumblin," playing the traditional slide guitar part not with her gitbox, but her voice is not something you'll want to experience the first time standing up....and the second time you might want a glass of brown liquor in a dirty glass to sip while you listen. Six numbers by Fred McDowell, the first of the Como, MS master's songs recorded by Lomax are just as inspiring, including a version of "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning" that will definitely light your soul. And we haven't even mentioned the Sid Hemphill songs or "God's Unchanging Hand" sung by Anderson Burton and the Independence Church congregation or the many work songs sung on Parchman Farm by all sorts of prisoners. More on the other discs in this collection later, but do not wait - buy this disc! Now.  Back to the Blue Suit Home Page