Drawn from the soundtrack to
Martin Scorsese's seven-part television documentary on the blues, Feel Like Going Home documents the roots behind the roots, traveling from the American South to West Africa and back again, resulting in a remarkable collection that spotlights the past, present, and future of this historically important musical genre. From early 78s by seminal figures
Charley Patton ("High Water Everywhere"),
Son House (his early version of "Death Letter," here called "My Black Mama"), and
Robert Johnson ("Hellhound on My Trail"), through field recordings collected by the venerable
Alan Lomax (an early
Muddy Waters tune called "Rosalie," which includes rough-hewn country fiddle from Henry "Son" Simms) and the restructured contemporary African blues of
Ali Farka Toure and
Salif Keita, this fine soundtrack knocks the dust off of the blues and exposes its vital and creative center. Highlights include the wild and eerie sound of Othar Turner and
Napoleon Strickland's fife and drum ensembles and the up-to-the-minute trance-inducing blues of Willie King & the Liberators. On "Terrorized,"
King sings: "You talk about terror/I've been terrorized all my life. "That's the blues, circa 2003. Feel Like Going Home is a fine introduction to the long history and promising future of this impressive musical form. ~ Steve Leggett