Aural Fixations

JAMES BLOOD ULMER
Birthright
(Hyena)
If the blues is one of the perfect fountains of pure self expression, and I think it is, then James Blood Ulmer is one of its avatars. Known for classic free jazz/funk explorations like Are You Glad to Be in America? and Freelancing, he's also a dedicated blues hound. Indeed, he's concentrated on the blues since the turn of the millenium; Birthright can be seen as the conclusion of a trilogy delineated by the highly acclaimed covers albums Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions and No Escape From the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions. On Birthright, one difference is that Blood goes bandless, accompanying himself only with his beloved Gibson Byrdland. The other deviation is one of material; while the record contains a pair of classic covers ("I Ain't Superstitious" and "Sittin' On Top of the World," both associated with Howlin' Wolf), the rest of the tunes are all Ulmer originals. With his free jazz background, you'd think Ulmer would treat his songs the way Tim Buckley treated folk music, as a launching pad for improvisatory flights of fancy. While there's definitely some of that here (check the brilliant instrumentals "Love Dance Rag" and "High Yellow"), Ulmer sticks much closer to the text than anyone familiar with his work would expect. His angular, knotty guitar work as straightforward as he dares play it and his distinctively craggy vocals oozing soul, Ulmer takes country blues tunes like "White Man's Jail," "The Evil One" and the glorious "Take My Music Back to the Church" down a road more likely to be trod by Otis Taylor than the ghost of Sonny Sharrock. He testifies to the inspiration of his grandfather in the tender "Geechee Joe" and to the power of the music itself in "My Most Favorite Thing." He also gives "Where Did All the Girls Come From," one of his best-known tunes, a somber, contemplative reading that will surprise anyone familiar with the hedonistic original. Make no mistake—this is no country blues revivalist project, with the artist trying his best to sound like he's in recording in a sweltering hotel room in the 30s. Nothing Ulmer does sounds like anyone or anything but himself. But this is simultaneously the most accessible and most soulful record Blood's ever made, a living testament to the magic of the blues. Michael Toland [buy it]