This is a terrific, offbeat project. A young French blues group featuring a female singer/guitarist and a hurdy-gurdy filling in chords like a Farsifa organ travelled to the North Mississippi hill country outside Memphis and recorded live in-studio (and sometimes on-porch) with grandchildren of former local blues legends Otha Turner, Junior Kimbrough, and R.L. Burnside. Everything works sensationally well. The hurdy-gurdy with its bagpipe-like drone turns out to be a great instrument for one-chord hill-country blues. The French players are high-quality. The young American blues players give superlative performances. This is similar to some of the North Mississippi Allstars projects — some of the same artists, lots of the same feel. If you like the North Mississippi Allstars, or for that matter Turner, Kimbrough, Burnside, John Lee Hooker, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Howlin’ Wolf, this is a record you will enjoy.
– John, an Amazon customer. Get your copy of Muddy Gurdy on Amazon as well. 