Melanie Mason - Lonesome Is I (2004)

From the D.C area artist hailed by The Washington Post as "a promising newcomer who's drawn comparisons to Bonnie Raitt" comes a follow-up release to her award-winning debut album, "Bendin' the Blues." Fans of Mason's electric blues-rock guitar work may be surprised to hear her "go acoustic," but those who have seen her as a solo opening act for Taj Mahal, Don McLean and other legends already know that she is equally at home in an acoustic setting. This album was nominated for the cross-genre “Album of the Year” award and won the Washington Area Music Association's 2001 "Best Blues Recording" award.

"Lonesome Is I," titled after the first line of the Mississippi John Hurt waltz, "Nobody Cares for Me," covers Mason's favorite acoustic country blues songs, plus a couple she penned herself. In addition to Hurt, Mason interprets the songs of blues legends Mance Lipscomb, Robert Johnson, Reverend Robert Wilkins and Blind Willie McTell. "Lonesome Is I" was recorded by award-winning producer and engineer Chris Biondo, known for his work with the late Eva Cassidy.

BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE (Hal Horowitz): "Melanie Mason's second album's title is an accurate description of the poignant songs within. Mason's supple guitar work is exemplary throughout. She slides and picks with an obvious understanding of the desolate qualities that make this music so timeless. 'Lonesome Is I' is a beautifully rendered album that expresses the sorrow, pain and the hopelessness long-gone bluesmen experienced."