I Watched the Devil Die

I Watched the Devil Die

Editorial Reviews
<"b0007uvxls7499"> Amazon.com
Ex-Blue Eyed Devils singer-guitarist Cotton pursued his muse from his Bay Area home to Clarksdale, Mississippi, for this solo debut. What he found in the Delta with some aid from producer Jimbo Mathus--who played guitar on Buddy Guy's last few albums and leads his own rockin' Knockdown Society--and guitar ace Big Jack Johnson was the inspiration to blend the essence of old-time string band music and pure country blues with his folk-inclined sound.

Cotton's not much of a storyteller, but his fleet picking style, delightfully raggedy vocal cords, and taste for flat-four rhythms propelled by loose-tuned snare drums create a juke joint party feel that makes for easy listening and serves covers of Skip James's "I'm So Glad" and John Hurt's "Louis Collins" well. The best cut is Cotton's own "Black Night," where his howlin' warnings about a cuckolded husband get slicing support from Johnson's thick fills and keening slide. And the album ends with the poignant wish "Goin' Back Home," where Mathus's slide resonator guitar helps brings Cotton's pining lyrics to life. --Ted Drozdowski

<"b0007uvxls4999"> Album Description
An aural portrait that owes a debt to Southern bluesmen and Americana pioneers alike, Chris Cotton’s Yellow Dog Records debut sounds like a house party caught on tape – world-weary men effortlessly strumming their guitars and bass, while passing around a jug of whiskey for sustenance. The barrelhouse piano, is, of course, pushed up against one wall; Cotton’s gravelly voice reigns over the debauchery. The scene is timeless – harkening back to days when the distinction between blues and country was hopelessly blurred.

Former Blue Eyed Devils frontman Cotton traveled to Clarksdale, MS to record I Watched the Devil Die at producer Jimbo Mathus’ vintage-equipment studio, housed in the city’s historic WROX radio building. Employing Memphis and Clarksdale sidemen including special guest Big Jack Johnson, Cotton and Mathus concocted a modern-day jam session with all the boisterous spirit of a classic down-home revival.

I Watched the Devil Die, Music, Chris Cotton, Blues, Harkening back to days when the distinction between blues and country was hopelessly blurred... a modern-day jam session with all the boisterous spirit of a classic down-home revival., Pop

I Watched the Devil Die

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