Bobby Rush: “Rawer Than Raw” (2020) CD Review

Bobby Rush is now in his mid-eighties and still delivering some absolutely fantastic blues. His new album, Rawer Than Raw, is appropriately named, for the music on it has a great raw, stripped-down quality. An honest sound, a true sound, a classic sound. Plus, the title alludes to a previous acoustic album of his, Raw, released more than a decade ago, this new one being its sequel. The songs chosen for this album are a mix of original compositions and some classic blues material from folks like Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson. Bobby Rush provides some thoughts on the artists he covers here in the disc’s liner notes. If you’re looking for some good, raw blues, performed by one of music’s best, you’re going to love this disc.

Bobby Rush was born in Louisiana, and in 2013 released an album titled Down In Louisiana. But he now makes his home in Mississippi, and this album kicks off with an original number titled “Down In Mississippi,” featuring some damn good blues harmonica playing. This album, by the way, is a solo effort, just Bobby Rush’s voice, guitar, harmonica and his stomping feet. “Been down in Mississippi and I sure had a wonderful time,” he tells us here. Glad to hear it, glad to hear of anyone having a wonderful time these days, for it seems the entire country has got a serious case of the blues. This track ends with a harmonica solo, so you know everything is going to be just fine. Bobby Rush follows that with a seriously cool rendition of Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,” here titled “Hard Times.” And talk about raw, this is it, this is what you’re looking for, including his foot stomping to keep time as the song moves along, in no hurry. “Hard time is here, wherever you go/It’s harder now than it ever been before.” I love his vocal delivery here, including that humming that is just perfect. There is a certain wisdom behind that humming, you know? Experience that doesn’t need to always be put into words. “Things are rough/Things are tough/Uh-huh.” You said it.

“Let Me In Your House” is an original number, but here sounding like it could have been written a century ago, so good, with more foot stomping to keep us grounded in the groove. This is a song that Bobby Rush included on his 2011 album Show You A Good Time, where it has quite a different vibe, with a funky edge. “I’m broke and disgusted/Lonely-hearted too/Lord, I’m broke and disgusted/Hey, lonely-hearted too.” Those opening lines could be sung by a large portion of our population, eh? Then he wants to be given access to a woman’s house, to have a talk with her. And if he can’t come in, he says, “Let me sit down here by your door.” Is he there for good or for ill? Depends on your perspective, I suppose. But this is a guy who is going after a married woman. “If I can’t sleep in your bed, let me sleep down here on your floor.” Then he adds, “If I walk in my sleep, you’re the only one would ever know.” What a great, sly line. And at the end when he whispers sensually “Bow wow,” man, it is seriously cool. You’d think it would be silly, but it works so well. He follows that with a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning,” one of the blues songs that the Grateful Dead introduced me too in my early teens. There is some kind of wild need in his delivery at times, which I love, as he sings “Whoa, stop your train/Whoa, let a poor boy ride/Don’t you hear me crying?” This track features more good work on harmonica. Things get pretty cool when he recounts the conversation between him and his woman.

“Shake It For Me” is a whole hell of a lot of fun, featuring a playful vocal delivery, a delightful groove on the guitar, and more percussion with his feet. This song was written by Willie Dixon, and recorded by Howlin’ Wolf as “Shake For Me.” That’s followed by “Sometimes I Wonder,” an original number. This one eases in, establishing a cool mood. Then the first line makes me smile: “Sometimes I wonder what’s going to happen to me when I get too old.” I don’t think it’s going to happen. What’s too old when you have such command of the blues? But of course he’s singing about a relationship. This track has more good work on harmonica, and also makes great uses of pauses. Rawer than raw, indeed. Bobby Rush follows that with a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Don’t Start Me Talkin’,” a song about truth, and whether it’s what people really want to hear. “Don’t start me to talkin’/I’ll tell everything I know.” And, yes, this track includes more wonderful stuff on harmonica. Then we get a sexy original number, “Let’s Make Love Again.” Oh yes, and if the title wasn’t straightforward enough for you, the line “Turn your light down low” and those moans of “Uh-huh” and other sounds tell us just what is going on here. Same goes for that harmonica, which is either commenting on the action or taking part, you decide.

“Honey Bee, Sail On” is an interesting song, one that has been recorded by a variety of artists, in a variety of versions. Muddy Waters recorded it as “Honey Bee,” and Lightnin’ Hopkins recorded it as “Sail On.” Lead Belly recorded it as “Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On.” Bobby Rush seems to take inspiration from all these versions, and delivers an excellent rendition, featuring some excellent work on guitar. That’s followed by “Garbage Man,” an original song that Bobby Rush included on his 2000 album Hoochie Man. This new rendition is a whole lot different from that earlier album version, featuring just harmonica and vocals and foot stomps, and having more of a sense of humor. Here he asks us, “Have you ever been mistreated by someone you shouldn’t have loved?” instead of “Have you ever been mistreated by someone you loved so much?” Then it gets personal, with him confessing, “Out of all the men my woman could have left me for, she left me for the garbage man.” But she still commands his thoughts, his attention: “Every time I see a garbage can/I think about her and the garbage man.” Yeah, there is certainly a dose of humor to this version, and for me, this recording is much better than the original rendition. “And that’s the blues for ya,” he tells us at the end. The album then concludes with a cover of the Robert Johnson classic “Dust My Broom.” This one has a lot of energy. The line “I believe, I believe my time ain’t long” might stand out, as it is delivered by a guy in his eighties, but he’s singing about the worry that his woman is about to break up their home. From the energy and sound here, Bobby Rush is going to be around for a long time to come. Let’s hope so.

CD Track List

1. Down In Mississippi
2. Hard Times
3. Let Me In Your House
4. Smokestack Lightning
5. Shake It For Me
6. Sometimes I Wonder
7. Don’t Start Me Talkin’
8. Let’s Make Love Again
9. Honey Bee, Sail On
10. Garbage Man
11. Dust My Broom

Rawer Than Raw is scheduled to be released on August 28, 2020 through Thirty Tigers and Deep Rush Records, and is going to be available on vinyl as well as CD.