You Better Run: The Essential Junior Kimbrough : Junior Kimbrough : Review : Rolling Stone

Late Mississippi bluesman gets the greatest-hits collection he deserves this, boys and girls, is why not everyone can play the blues. The late Mississippi bluesman Junior Kimbrough never had the specific blues of the milk-cow variety; his music was all about the state of the soul, a clashing of passion, terror and life force. He had a voice that moved from sinuous whipcord to plaintive howl, utterly in command and completely out of control. His guitar did nothing expected of it, its skewed repetitions and unlovely thumps driving against the rhythm section. These twelve tracks recorded live in various venues from 1969 (including a rare gem of a duet with rockabilly legend Charlie Feathers) to 1996 are like a trail through moonless woods. The music is dark and vibrant, the sex nasty, the nights late and messy, and women not to be trusted.

ARION BERGER
(RS 905 - Sept. 19, 2002)