Mother Blues with Gerald McClendon - Sleeping While the River Runs (2025)

This album celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a slow burn & rich Stax-style Muscle Shoals/Fame Studios blues as expressively powerful as Wilson Pickett. There’s a thread of soul that smokes between the notes Gerald McClendon’s soaring pipes release. Blues & soul are 2 distinctive elements, but Gerald adds spirituality to his performance through his range, intonation & phrasing. “Smokescreen” is exceptional with its Steve Cropper-type guitar presence resonating throughout Gerald’s showcase.

Then, unlike Pickett, he slides into Jerry Butler smoothness with the ballad “Keep You From Harm.” Nice easy listening guitar & jazzy time. Despite his power, Gerald doesn’t have the timbre of Gene McDaniel’s (“Another Tear Falls,” “Tower of Strength”). But he does have a gutsy side to his voice that adds contrast. For the most part, he summons an early ‘60s mainstream quality & mixes the styles with class.

There are 17 Mother Blues with Gerald McClendon – Sleeping While the River Runs recorded in Chicago & produced by Steve Bramer (lead guitar/bass/keys/percussion/songwriter). The sessions captured a diverse ’60s flavor that is all easily digestible. Old-fashioned soulful impressions surface in “Going Down For the Last Time,” with Joe Tex inflections, Parkway-Cameo Records-type backup vocalists (Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp) & superb Bramer lead guitar that’s not always as retro as you’d think – this makes the tunes sound contemporary.

“Leaves Tremble On the Tree” cruises into Bobby Day (“The Bluebird, the Buzzard & the Oriole”) territory. Excellent arrangement with an early funky guitar run that adds flavor, though the overall groove is out of Chuck Berry’s songbook. Quite good.

The album’s steeped in a retro style & the performances aren’t always vintage. Yes, Muddy Waters discovered that blending his classic blues with psychedelic music wasn’t the way to go, but he came back with substantial modern recordings thereafter. The most modern song is the enthusiastic “Sleeping While the River Runs,” a glorious, upbeat spiritual blues masterpiece. Excellent backup vocals, an infectious melody & performance with Mr. McClendon firing on all cylinders. The reissue is one of the year’s best, with many nuggets in this river.