Trouble in Mind

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (62 ratings)
Sample Album
Trouble in Mind album cover
Album Information
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 24   Total Length: 73:42

eMusic Review 0

Avatar Image
Chris Nickson

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
An energetic tour through the blues.
Label: Smithsonian Folkways

Recorded when Broonzy was 63, just a year away from his death from cancer in 1958, you'd never guess this was made by a mortally ailing man. From the brisk opener, "Hey Baby," this is a energetic tour through the blues from someone whose career rode the genre from Mississippi house parties to international fame. From "Louise" to his own signature piece, "Key to the Highway," he's not only in fine, muscular voice but his guitar playing is supple, whether on adroit rhythm or inventive lead. As a reminder that Broonzy was a songster, not just a bluesman, he throws in "Frankie and Johnny" and the gospel of "This Train," as well as reflecting racial tensions of the period on "Black, Brown and White." It's a master class in the Delta sound, with an epic sense of the closing of a chapter of history. As classic performances go, they don't come much bigger than this, and as a memorial to one of American's greatest bluesmen, it's perfect.

Write a Review 4 Member Reviews

Please register before you review a release. Register

user avatar

Ease your troubled mind!

stuartcarla

Eloquent acoustic blues playing and a wonderful warm vocal delivery from this master of the blues. Oh and the songs are excellent and recorded beautifully too. This collection will have you thoroughly entertained and smiling to yourself. Download it all!

user avatar

The Blues at Its Best...

NightTrane

Big Bill Broonzy influenced many great Bluesmen including my favorite Muddy Waters..This recording shows you why.. A must listen for any Blues fan..

user avatar

Never Heard No Horses Sing 'Em

e.leilani.83

Note: This is Broonzy's late, last folk period. It is also part of the Smithsonian Folkways label, which gives it a trademark warmth both in recording and atmosphere. Broonzy's acoustic skills are pristine (great study material for apprentice bluespeople) and his wit is unbeatable, demonstrated in his opening comments on "Black Brown & White" and "This Train". "Southern Rag" is a stand out instrumental, spotlighting Broonzy's virtuosity in improvisation while effortlessly maintaining a jumpy groove. For fans of Broonzy; its like re-visiting an old friend. For the new listener; Its a welcoming introduction to one of the most empathetic and charismatic bluesmen you'll ever know.

Recommended Albums

eMusic Features

Banging on the Pots and Pans: Songs for Kids and their Parents
0

Banging on the Pots and Pans: Songs for Kids and their Parents

By Sujan Hong-Raphael, Senior Manager, Label Relations

With songs about airplanes and trains, counting and clapping, and of course, a funky penguin, Banging on the Pots and Pans features all ages, genre and era-spanning tunes that are kid-tested, mother-approved. You'll hear classic cuts from Rufus Thomas, Shirley Ellis and the Pointer Sisters, newer favorites by the Apples in Stereo, Young Fresh Fellows and Luv Clowns as well kid-friendly tracks from the White Stripes, Bobby Charles and Brian Wilson. All together now! more »

0

Smithsonian Folkways

By Chris Nickson, eMusic Contributor

The Smithsonian Folkways collection is a musical treasure, a chance to wander down the byways of music not only from America, but all parts of the globe. It not only takes in music from Folkways, the "peoples'music" label formed by Moses Asch in 1948, but also Cook Records, Monitor, Paredon and others, as well as a number of new releases — an Aladdin's cave of song, music and speech. For a tiny label, Folkways was astonishingly… more »

They Say All Music Guide

This is something of a best-of for Broonzy’s Folkways recordings, done in 1956-57 near the end of his life, all featuring just his voice and his acoustic guitar (although Pete Seeger adds banjo to a live version of “This Train (Bound for Glory)”). Although Broonzy, who died in 1958 of throat cancer, was likely not in peak physical shape by this time, you wouldn’t suspect that from the quality of the performances. His vocals are still rich and moving on a relaxed selection of originals and standards, including such well-known favorites as “Trouble in Mind,” “Key to the Highway,” “Digging My Potatoes,” “It Hurts Me Too,” and “C.C. Rider.” Especially good is his version of “Louise,” where the intensity rises to a level higher than most of the other tracks approach. Occasionally Broonzy gets into racial and social comment, as on “When Will I Get to Be Called a Man” and the more controversial “Black, Brown and White Blues.” – Richie Unterberger

more »