MISSISSIPPI MACDONALD - DO RIGHT, SAY RIGHT

MISSISSIPPI MACDONALD - DO RIGHT, SAY RIGHT
Release: (NOVEMBER 19, 2021)
CONTEMPORARY BLUES
LABEL: ANOTHER PLANET MUSIC

American music has long been defined as a highly energized, rhythmic music derived from the blurring of lines
between popular and "serious" styles, which originated in the U.S. – from hip hop and rap to country, blues, soul,
and rock ‘n’ roll. This concept has been historically best understood by musicians from other countries and most
notably those from England, who brought us the “British Invasion” of the 1960’s. Three-time British Blues Award nominee, Mississippi MacDonald........►

is a leading force in the next generation of players, who demonstrate a high level of comprehension of organic American music styles and the fluency, commitment, and internalization needed to weave them together. His sixth album, Do Right, Say Right, is an energized and authentic set of eight originals and one cover of soul-infused blues that is another benchmark on a quest that began as a 12-year-old kid seeing Chuck Berry perform.

MacDonald is backed by a tight four-piece band made up of Phil Dearing on keyboards and guitar (who produced the album at L Sound in London) with Elliot Boughen on bass, Mark Johnson-Brown on drums, while Lucy Dearing adds backup vocals; a veteran crew of musicians who intuitively create the sound MacDonald is seeking.
The easy swinging “I Was Wrong” opens the set with MacDonald confessing his love punctuated by hot horn jabs. The Chicago shuffle, “I Heard It Twice,” recounts his break-up tirade with a woman, who rips apart his credibility as a “real blues man,” while he pours his angst into his guitar. The edgy burning funk “It Can’t Hurt Me” is the tale of a man done wrong determined to get vengeance highlighted by ice pick Albert Collins styled guitar leads. “Drinker’s Blues” is a loving tribute to B.B. King’s first hit “Three O’Clock Blues,” with MacDonald emoting the legends vocal and guitar style with devotion and respect.

The complex gospel infused blues “Let Me Explore Your Mind” evokes another of his heroes, the southern soul singer O.V. Wright, for whom MacDonald teamed with others to purchase a gravestone for the late Hi Records recording artist. Texas Blues “That’s It I Quit” spells out the hard life of a working musician with tongue firmly imbedded in cheek. The piano-driven slow blues, “If You Want A Good Cup Of Coffee,” is a glorious exploration of word play that fuses modernisms with folky colloquialisms and features a soaring guitar solo. He digs even deeper on “Keep Your Hand Out Of My Pocket,” a classic twelve bar about hard luck and trouble asking the question “how wrong can one man get?”

The finale is a piece of the soul blues lexicon that has been bandied about for years, as MacDonald takes on the Little Milton version of the Denise LaSalle number “Your Wife Is Cheating On Us,” a bump and grind blues concerning the infidelity among fellow adulterers. Do Right, Say Right is a strong album from a strong “real bluesman.”
Rick J Bowen

WEBLINKS
OS: www.mississippimacdonald.com

More Information: Betsie Brown, Blind Raccoon, betsie@blindraccoon.com