Richland Woman Blues

by Maria Muldaur

Overview

Best known for that ditty about camels, Maria Muldaur has since established herself as one of the finest folk/country/jazz/blues/gospel interpreters ever to have a Top Five single. After 26 years and 24 solo albums, Muldaur -- inspired by a trip to Memphis' Beale Street -- digs deep into her roots and pays tribute to the classic blues women of the '20s and '30s. Aided by the similarly inclined Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, and Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Muldaur breezes through 14 tunes from icons Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie, as well as obscurities from the Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, and Blind Willie Johnson. Keeping the unplugged accompaniment stripped way down to a single guitar or piano and occasional bass, Muldaur has room to maneuver her evocative vocals that shift from gritty groans to a high-pitched edgy trill. Far from a dry history lesson, these songs are performed with the strength and tenacity of the women who originally sang them. Whether spinning saucy, double entendre lyrics in "Me and My Chauffeur Blues" ("the way you ride so easy, I can't turn you down") or longing for her Southern home after moving north during the Depression in Bessie Smith's "Far Away Blues," the singer remains invigorated and inspired throughout. By returning to her late-'60s Jim Kweskin Jug Band coffeehouse days, Maria Muldaur has discovered her middle-aged oasis with Richland Woman Blues. And there's not a camel in sight. ~ Hal Horowitz

Product Details

Release Date:	08/21/2020
Label:	Stony Plain
UPC:	0772532127028
Rank:	111377

Tracks

1. Richland Woman Blues
2. Grasshoppers in My Pillow
3. It's a Blessing
4. Me and My Chauffeur Blues
5. Put It Right Here
6. I'm Goin' Back Home
7. My Man Blues
8. In My Girlish Days
9. Far Away Blues
10. I Got to Move
11. Lonesome Desert Blues
12. Soul of a Man
13. I Belong to That Band
14. It's a Blessing (Reprise)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Maria Muldaur   Primary Artist,Vocals
David Wilkie   Primary Artist,Mandocello
Amos Garrett   Primary Artist,Guitar (12 String)
Taj Mahal   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Dave Matthews   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Roy Rogers   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Bonnie Raitt   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
Ernie Hawkins   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Alvin Youngblood Hart   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Tracy Nelson   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
John Sebastian   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Guitar
Angela Strehli   Primary Artist,Vocals
Dave Mathews   Primary Artist,Piano
Roly Salley   Bass

Technical Credits

John Jacob   Producer,Mixing,Engineer,Digital Editing
Maria Muldaur   Producer,Liner Notes
Traditional   Composer
Bessie Smith   Composer
John Hunt   Composer
Lead Belly   Composer
Ernest Lawlars   Composer
Huddie Ledbetter   Composer
Rowland Salley   Paintings
Peter Moore   Mastering
George Brooks   Composer
Dave Wellhausen   Engineer
Holger Petersen   Photography,Executive Producer
Mike Dysinger   Engineer
Porter Grainger   Composer
John Hurt   Composer
Gus Brooks   Composer