I suspect that my not being that invested in modern blues is because, in recent times, it has become the bastion of Armani-suited, showboating, stadium guitarists such as Joe Bonamassa. Surely the spirit of the blues, authentic blues, can’t be effectively delivered by a guy from the Canadian border, who lives in a mansion and has all the gold he can eat. (Don’t fact-check me on the last two, but you get my point.)
Thankfully, Lewis Stubbs Junior (a perfect name for a purveyor of roots music) seems to find his influence in more honest times and more authentic players – in Ry Cooder’s drive and deftness, Townes Van Zandt’s raw acoustica, and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s effortless groove.
With his bandmates from his previous band, Natchez Tracers, Brad Clark and Chris Long holding down the rhythm and beat, Stubbs gives us a brilliantly spacious, raw, and seductive, soul-infused blues piece. Acoustic-driven, finding additional sonic weight and texture in some exquisite Cooder-esque slide playing, it is the sound of blues music made for the modern age without sacrificing what made it so great in the first place. Lyrically, too, it talks of the lost and the longing, a lament for the lonely, a prayer for someone trying to find their way back to the world…it doesn’t get much more blues than that!
This is my first taste of Lewis Stubbs Junior, but “Back Home to You” has done something that I really wasn’t expecting. It has got me excited about blues music again! Thank you, good sir.
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