COREY HARRIS

BLU.BLACK

2009-12-07

Corey Harris has always been an adventuresome artist. First making his mark as a straight out acoustic blues guitarist, he’s played everything from acoustic folk and Cajun country to tripped out electric versions of delta blues standards and, more recently, reggae. This disc finds him still delving into reggae grooves on "Conquering Lion", "Blessed Seed", "Run Around Girl", "Babylon Walls" and "Backlash" and using Rastafarian first person references to declare to Jah that "Columbus is a liar": he didn’t find anything that wasn’t already there. Elsewhere, as on "Black", "King and Queen" and "My Song" he applies his rich vocals to ballads and even a bit of gospel. Of the 14 cuts only the electric "Blues" is a straight out blues tune. Overall, the vibe here is a decidedly mellow, Jack Johnson type of experience. Maybe it was the novelty of hearing him taking on reggae as a new musical style but 2007’s Zion Crossroads was a more compelling listen. Hopefully, Harris will move on to his next muse in short order. Smitty