Erin and Neil Harpe - Delta Blues Duets (2008)

If you love that real authentic Delta sound and regret that you never got the chance to see Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith to perform, you won't want to miss the work of the young blues singer Erin Harpe from Boston. For her new album "Delta Blues Duets" she takes you on a trip through the Delta circa 1930. The name says it all, "Delta Blues Duets", Erin and her dad Neil Harpe, both on fingerpickin' and vocals, approach the sound of Memphis Minnie when she was partnered with Kansas Joe! Erin's voice is perfect for these kinds of songs, bluesy and full of sound and soul, reminding me of Bonnie Raitt's debut CD, her fingerpickin' is also the best.

The song selection is very strong, including well-known songs such as "Chauffer Blues", "Kokomo Blues", "Fishin' Blues" and "In My Girlish Days", but also more obscure songs, including the beautiful "Stop and Listen Blues" and "Winnie The Wailer" - the song Lonnie Johnson wrote in the model of "Minnie the Moocher", written two years earlier by Cab Calloway. A beauty of a CD, both in it's austere simplicity, but also by the beautiful voice of Erin. A CD that I will certainly continue to run, because the great songs from that period are timeless, witness the numerous shells are still more of this type of songs continue to emerge.

For those who love to early Bonnie Raitt, Maria Muldaur, Rory Block and similar-sounding singers, especially, a must!-Ron