Track Listings (10) - Disc #1| All Artists: Magic Slim & Teardrops Title: Blue Magic Members Wishing: 3 Total Copies: 0 Label: Blind Pig Release Date: 7/9/2002 Genres: Blues, Pop Style: Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 019148507623 |
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Search - Magic Slim & Teardrops :: Blue Magic
 | Magic Slim & Teardrops Blue Magic Genres: Blues, Pop
Magic Slim (Morris Holt) is best known for carrying on the Windy City tradition of back-to-the-basics blues bar bands, blasting out a quintessential sound that the music's legends would appreciate and that its newest fans ... more » |
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Amazon.com Magic Slim (Morris Holt) is best known for carrying on the Windy City tradition of back-to-the-basics blues bar bands, blasting out a quintessential sound that the music's legends would appreciate and that its newest fans can still enjoy. With Blue Magic, Holt and the Teardrops take a few steps outside their home turf for a New York City session with several surprises. Although most of the material is Holt's, the new album features several conspicuous exceptions, such as an intriguing attempt at country legend Merle Haggard's "I Started Loving You Again." But it's producer Popa Chubby's updating of the Bobby Rush gem "Chickenheads," popularized by Holt's fellow Chicago stalwart Mighty Joe Young, that is the most adventurous experiment. With the band sitting out, Popa Chubby takes over all the rhythm duties and adds sampled loops to the mix. Its reconfiguration is counterbalanced by the group's experienced, no-nonsense take on the Howlin' Wolf classic "How Many More Years." Magic Slim's trademark guitar vibrato is similarly balanced by his gruff vocals and the Teardrops, minus brother Nick Holt but still including guitarist Michael Dotson, consistently demonstrate themselves capable of transforming any studio or stage into a first-class Chicago blues bar. --Michael Point Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsNot Slim's Best... Matthew Philbin | Arlington, VA USA | 07/30/2002 (3 out of 5 stars) "...but it still is pretty damned good. If you've ever seen Slim and the Teardrops (as I have a couple times at the tiny B.L.U.E.S. in Chicago) you're probably already a fan. The best thing about Slim is his ability to use a stripped down, guitar intensive arrangement to transform even the most venerable (and often boring) blues tunes into something fresh and compelling. Coupled with his own catchy, driving originals, albums like "Black Tornado" crackle with energy. Unfortunately, this album is uneven. Whereas with "Black Tornado" one can just enjoy listening to a killer blues band, this one sounds like it's self-conciously trying to be an album. In my opinion, that doesn't work as well for Slim. In spots, Popa Chubby's production is too much, taking some of the spontaneous grit away from the performance. Slim's guitar playing is, as always, magnificent, but it sounds a bit more processed than before--a real shame, because he has some truly killer tone. As an introduction to Magic Slim, I can't recommend this album. But it's still Slim, and that's pretty damned good!" Magic Slim Lite Marc D. Thomas | Moab, UT United States | 10/23/2002 (3 out of 5 stars) "Unfortunately, this is what Chicago's baddest bluesman sounds like when he's been defanged. Better to start your collection with "Snakebite" or the classic "Gravel Road." Time marches on and this is not the same band without John Primer and Nick Holt. One star added for including the PC video." A bit tired, but still it's Slim Tim Weber | Iowa | 07/31/2002 (3 out of 5 stars) "A new Magic Slim album is always a good thing. But "Blue Magic," his fifth album on Blind Pig, seems like less of a good thing than usual. In fact, of the eight Magic Slim albums I own, I'd rank this, well, eighth. Sliced down to 10 tracks from the usual 11 or 12, and featuring some of Slim's least inspired self-penned songs, "Blue Magic" seems a bit tired and lacks the full-out commitment of other Magic Slim discs. Popa Chubby, who as an artist seems to be trying to shake up the blues world, seems to try to give Slim a few nudges into the unfamiliar, but his production, though somewhat inconsistent from track to track, is neither here nor there. Slim tries to bluesify a country song, Merle Haggard's "I Started Loving You Again" and, while interesting, it might have been better left to a live show. The funky "Chickenheads," also not written by Slim, is pretty strong. It's Slim's originals that are lacking. Really, the disc is still pretty good - Slim can't make a bad album - but it seems a bit tired, certainly miles behind his best work such as the brilliant and diverse "Black Tornado." Interestingly, Slim's guitar seems to be mixed a little too high (something I never thought I'd say) and is a bit too piercing and strident. Perhaps the absence of Slim's brother Nick Holt on bass (I'm not sure what happened there) can explain the disc's shortcomings; perhaps it's all about chemistry. Still, Magic Slim is Magic Slim, and "Blue Magic" is certainly worth owning, but if you're being selective there's lots better Slim out there."
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