John-Alex Mason

Upon first hearing the latest effort from John-Alex Mason, "Town and Country", I was stunned to realize the voice I was hearing was coming from such a young man. Even though Mason hails from Colorado, he sounds as if he was born and raised on the Stovall Plantation sprung full grown from the soul of Charley Patton. The vocals on "Town and Country" ring true on each selection, as if Mason has lived the life about which he sings.

His original material is well written, and again sounds like it could have been written 75 years ago, the feel is that authentic. I particularly like "Locomotive", which conjures up images of the late R. L. Burnside and his hill country boogie, "Strange Things", and his heartfelt lament to New Orleans, "Chef Menteur". When he chooses to do a cover such as "Terraplane Blues", or Skip James' "Cypress Grove" he puts his own mark on the song without ever losing the mood of the original, and makes you feel as though you are being hurled back in time to a Mississippi cotton field. His acoustic guitar work on the "Country" songs has a wonderfully sparse sound to it and seems to come from some deep place inside. Then on the "Town" section he adds the percussion and goes electric, and we're in for a sweet ride as the music carries you along. All in all, a great effort from John-Alex Mason, and a disc that deserves repeated spins. Brett Fleming, "Soul Stew," WEVL Memphis