Search - John Cephas, Phil Wiggins :: Dog Days of August

Almost impossibly well-executed acoustic Piedmont blues

01/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This release by the acclaimed Piedmont blues duo of "Bowling Green" John Cephas and "Harmonica" Phil Wiggins really put them on the map. Recorded entirely in the living room of Cephas's self-built house in rural Virginia, the selections on this album were all laid down in a single night, with no overdubs whatsoever. From the haunting dirge of Skip James' "Hard Time Killing Floor" to the rousing sing-a-long spirit of "Roberta," this release has graced my stereo well over a hundred times, and I never tire of it. "John Henry" is a favorite, the classic traditional given almost best-ever treatment, and "Stagger Lee" comes in close behind. Other recommended cuts are the title cut, "Reno Factory," and "Cherryball" -- also penned by James. Cephas, with his honey-cured baritone, has a singularly beatiful voice -- rich and expressive with lots of soul, and his guitar picking -- the distinctive thumb-and-forefinger picking of the Piedmont tradition, is heralded around the world. (Taylor guitars put him on the cover of their catalog in 1997.) Wiggins is an incredibly fleet and dextrous harmonica player, providing near perfect counterpoint to Cephas's playing and singing, and will leave many fellow harmonica players gasping at his weaves and runs. Still actively touring -- having been together since 1983 -- Cephas and Wiggins are just about to release "Homemade" on Alligator Records, which is sure to provide more of their always top-rack acoustic blues."

Excellent acoustic blues on CD-R

Alexander Panin | 03/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Music is excellent, old time Piedmont blues. However, currently Amazon sells this album on CD-R (not factory pressed or `silver' CD), at least my copy arrived today is CD-R. It is known that CD-R lifetime could be significantly smaller than of factory pressed CDs (a CD-R can die within 5 years even if you choose not to play it at all). Get this, but be prepared that your copy could fail to play after few years."

Outstanding Piedmont Blues!!!

peter krampert | eharmonica.net | 02/03/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The acoustic Blues that spontaneously arose around the the turn of the century in rural America was an mixture of various influences. Folk, Country, Blues and various forms of ethnic musics blended in and out of each other weaving a beautiful tapestry of sound.Cephas and Wiggins are an acoustic duo who are doing an amazing job of keeping traditional music alive. John Cephas does a great job of guitar playing and singing. Phil Wiggins sounds like he studied at the footsteps of the masters, providing perfect balance to Cephas' singing. Together the two blend effortlessly and any acoustic Blues enthusiast would be happy to have this cCD in their collection.This CD contains eight songs, mostly standards. The originals sound like they were written during the 1920's, the covers are faithfully reproduced. I hope we hear a lot more from these two in the future."