Search - Junior Kimbrough :: Most Things Haven't Worked Out

Hypnotic and claustrophobic

almosthappy | San Diego, CA, California | 08/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have come across this late bluesman only recently. But this record is already by far one of the finest blues records I have come across in years. The strength of Mr. Kimbrough's brand of blues comes mostly from his skillful manipulations of guitar. His guitar playing is well layered: a robust baseline that's droning and hypnotic, a solid and spacey mid-range filled with riffs that are saturated in reverbs and unexpected syncopations, and claustrophobic solos in upper registers with missing/unreachable high notes. Kimbrough's blues is raw, authentic, and even evokes the timing and melodic sensibilities of some contemporary Western African music, such as that of Ali Farka and Boubacar Traore. There is an ever-present yearning in his music, which is especially moving in the context of his hypnotic and claustrophobic sound scape. Certain tracks on this record are a little too over-produced for my taste, on which the real treasure - Kimborough's guitar-playing - are somewhat overshadowed. But overall this is still a damn fine blues record! Wholeheartedly recommended!"

5 isn't enough stars for this one...

Ryan D. Strand | MPLS, MN | 06/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pure delta blues...electric and jammed out by one of the last remaining people who could sincerely play it. (R.I.P. Junior) Honestly, this is one of the best delta blues albums ever made. A lot of people have probably found Junior via RL Burnside....lemme tell you: RL is fun....Junior was great.

And that title...damn, is there a better name for a soulful blues album?"

Dark heart of the blues

Jeffrey Konkel | St. Louis, Missouri USA | 07/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1997, I went to my local record store in search of the much-celebrated Junior Kimbrough album All Night Long. It wasn't in stock, so I picked up Junior's then-latest record, Most Things Haven't Worked Out.



In the subsequent decade, I've collected virtually everything he recorded, but Most Things Haven't Worked Out remains my favorite.



If you're not familiar with Kimbrough, be forewarned: His music ain't easy listening. At first blush, it can be fairly impenetrable. The sound is murky and primordial with trance-inducing grooves and strange, loping rhythms. His vocals are a mix of holler and mumble.



But once you're hooked, there's no turning back. His music at its best - as on Most Things Haven't Worked Out - is truly intoxicating. That's no mere hyperbole. After a while its grooves become so insistent and so mesmerizing that it makes the listener - at least THIS listener - dizzy.



Simply put, nobody sounds like Junior Kimbrough.



Most Things Haven't Worked Out is more ramshackle than his Fat Possum debut All Night Long, but it's a riveting listen. Recorded partly at his famed juke joint in Holly Springs, Mississippi, the record is chaotic and primal, at times threatening to collapse in on itself. But it never does, and that's its beauty.



If you're ready to go searching for the dark heart of the blues . . . let Junior be your guide."