Eddie Kirkland - Complete Trix Sessions (1999)

This two-CD set contains Front and Center and The Devil and Other Blues Demons reissues. Both recordings date back to the early '70s. Front and Center finds Kirkland mining country-blues. During Kirkland's Detroit tenure he worked and toured with John Lee Hooker. The Hooker influence is detectable on "When I First Started Hoboing" and, of course, "Eddie's Boogie Chillen." Except for a couple backing musicians on "Have You Seen That Lonesome Train," Kirkland presents a solo performance on guitar and vocals. Often playing slide guitar and finding extra space for a soulful vocal delivery, Front and Center is the dynamic Kirkland's most personal project. His energy potential comes through on The Devil and Other Blues Demons. Here Kirkland, backed by a full band, turns spirited on the proto-funk tracks. There is still the detectable Hooker influence. Vocally, one hears more of another former employer, Otis Redding. Together on The Complete Trix Recordings, these selections show the two sides of the "Energy Man": one side deeply rooted in the Delta traditions and another side burning hot with early R&B vitality. © Tom Schulte