Sonny Boy Williamson I- You Can Lead Me

I can’t stand Chicago blues. Large-band, made-man blues. The focus of the blues should be the man, the lyrics, the naked showmanship. Otherwise, the hallowed 12-bar structure of the blues is made monotonous; just another exercise along the lines of Chuck Berry rips or black metal ballads. A key becomes a battering ram, even though they’re set against the same door. This is the original Sonny Boy, whose alchemy helped alter the harmonica from poor child’s toy to poor man’s weapon. Here he’s begging for some loving, enlisting his brother T.W. and mentor Walter Davis to scour the schoolrooms for just the right woman. The lyric is all over the place, Yank Rachell’s mandolin keeps things swinging, and Sonny sends it all home with sheer force of personality.

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Blind Alfred Reed- Why Do You Bob Your Hair, Girls?

Absolutely classic. Due a revival in these personae-by-theft times. This tune, released in 1927, proved so popular that Mr. Reed cut a sequel. And I can see why. Still funny, still potent.

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The Mountain Goats- Two Thousand Seasons

As a guy who got into this rap game thanks to the presence of industry heavy John Darnielle, I have to acknowledge that The Sunset Tree isn’t doing it for me. The only recourse is to pick up a past release and get to know that aching eager heartland voice again. This week’s release is Protein Source of the Future… Now!, and the song, which I swear I must have skipped every time before as I cannot recall it, is “Two Thousand Seasons”. For a minute forty, Mr. Darnielle waxes calumnic over nothing more than controlled feedback or angry radio wavelengths. It’s like Jeremiah writing Lamentations from a bus stop with his Red Krayola in the Walkman. Something good is coming.

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