CD Review

Midnight baby deep cerulean sky powder ocean navy. Not a rambling run-on that needs to be spell and grammar checked immediately to get that nagging green line to disappear- colors. Shades of blue to be precise, all of which can be found in varying hues on the latest Vassar Clements release, the aptly titled Livin’ With the Blues.

Mr. Clements should not require a formal introduction at this point in his expansive and illustrious career. It’s safe to say that his legacy is secure and his reputation will forever precede him. As fiddlers go, the man hasn’t a single contemporary. As for friends, Livin’ suggests he has many, and they all share his penchant for soul felt interpretations of timeless blues standards. Naturally, the album’s finest moments are when Clements is left alone to shine on instrumental arrangements like “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning” and “Green Onions”. Like an unadulterated cup of black coffee at a country diner enjoyed at a window seat, contemplating the weather. See “Cypress Grove” for a lazy southern rain.

Those tracks featuring voices other than those conjured by Vassar’s bow are the albums low points, for the most part. The contemporary stylings of Elvin Bishop’s tunes, “Dirty Drawers” and “That’s My Thing” sound entirely misplaced with their Taco Bell, Big Mac, and “booty shaking band” references. They don’t fit on a record where a 1920’s aura resonates. The Robert Johnson and Tampa Red songs seem to be delivered in a more genuine fashion, and better vehicles for Clements talents. Vassar adopts these songs, long since orphaned by their fathers and brings them home to make them his own. Soon enough he has them all doing their chores without complaint.