VA - Blues With A Message [2005]

BLUES

VA - Blues With A Message [2005]

Released in 2005 by Arhoolie Records, Blues With a Message is a compact, single-disc compilation that distills decades of political and social commentary into 18 potent tracks. Curated by Chris Strachwitz, the set spans recordings from the 1940s to the early 1970s, showcasing blues as a medium for protest, survival, and reflection, often in stark, unvarnished terms.

J.B. Lenoir’s “Vietnam Blues” and “Born Dead” are standout rarities, recorded in Europe with acoustic arrangements that strip the message to its core. Lenoir’s delivery is gentle but devastating, confronting war, poverty, and racial injustice with poetic clarity. Big Bill Broonzy’s “Black, Brown and White” remains one of the most direct critiques of American racial hypocrisy ever pressed to wax, its original version was deemed too controversial for release in the U.S.

The set also includes Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “War Is Starting Again,” a minimalist meditation on Cold War anxiety, and Sam Chatmon’s “I Have to Paint My Face,” which uses metaphor to explore racial identity and social masking. Fred McDowell’s “Woke Up This Morning With My Mind on Freedom” and Juke Boy Bonner’s “Struggle Here in Houston” add civil rights urgency, bridging gospel and street-level blues.

Mastering is raw but clear, preserving the immediacy of the original recordings. The liner notes are concise but informative, offering context for each track’s origin and political relevance. While brief compared to multi-disc sets like Ain’t Times Hard, this compilation punches above its weight, each selection chosen for lyrical depth and historical resonance.

For archivists, Blues With a Message is a vital snapshot: compact, thematically focused, and emotionally direct. It’s a reminder that the blues didn’t just document hard times, it named them, challenged them, and sang through them. (B)

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Track lists

01 Sam Chatman - I Have to Paint My Face 2:50

02 John Jackson - John Henry 3:53

03 Mercy Dee - Walked Down So Many Turn Rows 3:08

04 Mance Lipscomb - Tom Moore's Farm 3:41

05 Lightning Hopkins - Tom Moore Blues 5:01

06 Lowell Fulson - River Blues Parts 1 & 2 5:19

07 Fred McDowell - Levee Camp Blues 5:36

08 Essie Jenkins - The 1919 Influenza Blues 4:04

09 Willie Eason - Why I Like Roosevelt 5:59

10 Doctor Ross - Little Soldier Boy 3:03

11 Robert Pete Williams - Prisoner's Talking Blues 5:14

12 Johnie Lewis - I Go to Climb A High Mountain 3:15

13 Herman E. Johnson - Depression Blues 4:46

14 Johnny Young & Big Walter Horton - Stockyard Blues 3:24

15 Juke Boy Bonner - What Will I Tell The Children 3:30

16 Juke Boy Bonner - It's Enough 3:00

17 Bee Houston - Things Gonna Get Better 3:10

18 Big Joe Williams - Back Home Blues 4:21

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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