Terry Evans' fifth solo effort -- not including two with fellow vocalist
Bobby King -- is his first not featuring guitar master and ex-employer
Ry Cooder. While that may disappoint
Cooder fans, especially since his work on previous
Evans discs was some of the guitarist's best and most incisive non-soundtrack R&B/rock/blues playing of the '90s, it allows this album more room for the singer and his rugged touring group to strut their stuff. Recorded primarily live in the studio in only four days with his longtime backing musicians,
Mississippi Magic is a rollicking example of
Evans' uncut, non-commercialized, gritty gospel and swamp vocals. He reprises and rearranges the earlier tracks "Let Love Begin" and "Where We Gonna Go," which were originally recorded on albums with
King. He also taps
Jorge Calderon (who goes under the alias of
J.C. Parsons for two more, and turns in stunning versions of "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" and especially
Willie Dixon's "Mellow Down Easy." The latter finds his band locking together on a joyous, upbeat groove where
Evans is positively jubilant and proves how tight and capable this group is. Elsewhere, guitarist Jesse Samsel turns in solos that are so similar to
Cooder's -- especially when he lets his slide loose on "Let Love Begin" -- you'll be checking the liner notes to be sure who's playing.
Evans digs into this material with the gruff but affable approach that added such down-home Southern soul to
Cooder's and
Hans Theessink's work. His version of
Theessink's "Where the Southern Crosses the Dog" is one of this disc's highlights, but there is truly not a weak track here. Whether he's singing straight blues or testifying with religion-soaked R&B,
Evans brings ferocious, rousing soul power to
Mississippi Magic. ~ Hal Horowitz