Saturday, September 17, 2005


Slim Harpo
Occasionally I'm going to feature some of the greats of Louisiana's musical heritage which is so rich and diverse as to have produced so many good records and artists in the 20th century.
The region's influence is everywhere - even in music like Slim Harpo's electric blues. On paper Slim, aka James Moore, from Baton Rouge was an imitator; most of his material is a take on the Jimmy Reed style from Chicago - lazy guitar boogies over racked harp and even lazier singing but Slim Harpo brought something else with him - the tonality and rhythms of Louisiana.
His repertoire of r&b hits encompasses some of the most covered of all blues songs 'I'm a King Bee', 'Got Love If you want it', 'Shake Your Hips', all with their original echoey recording sound and their sparse, unusual percussion. Moore's nasal vocal style is infectious as is his style of songwriting - minimalistic and somehow desolate. Witness the great swamp pop of 'Raining in my heart' or 'Baby Scratch My Back'. Anyway - listen to some clips on amazon - you might like it - you might even grow to love it. 'Wondering' and Worrying' is a personal favourite with probably the best intro I've ever heard.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005KPX/ref=pd_sim_music_3/104-3613371-7612762?v=glance&s=music

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