The disc gets off to a wonderful start with its title track, “Mississippi Bound,” perhaps the most cheerful blues tune I’ve heard. Rather than beginning with that classic blues opening line “I woke up this morning,” this one opens in the future: “I’m getting up tomorrow, I’m gonna pack my bags.” Yup, it’s a song about leaving his woman. “I'll leave a letter on your pillow/So I can tell you I tried/But keeping all your people happy/Was taking all my time/You know my solitude is calling.” I love the sound of the guitar, which has a classic flavor. And speaking of cheer, there are even some hand claps in the middle, and again at the end. That’s followed by “I Don’t Roll,” which has a tasty back porch blues sound, with lyrics that seem to fit in with the great blues tradition: “I went up, I went down/You played your part/So I went down to the corner/But I ain’t gonna call her no more.” Yet this song is about smoking a joint, while also perhaps being about a woman he’s thinking of. This track features some excellent work on guitar.
“Get Up” begins with another variation of that classic opening blues line, with Ivor singing, “I get up in the morning/About a quarter past ten.” There is a relaxed vibe about this song, which is fitting for lyrics like those first lines and these: “About two or three/I fix me something to eat.” Yeah, it’s about doing nothing, and at one point, he seeks some company, someone he can do nothing with. “So why don't ya swing on by/You can do nothing too.” This song may be about that time during the pandemic when everything was shut down, but when we’ve forgotten about those circumstances, these lyrics will still work, will still hold their appeal, for there will always be times when doing nothing is the order of the day. Then “Talkin’ Shit Again” begins with some pretty acoustic guitar work. The lyrics then are in some contrast to that sound: “Been having crazy dreams/Well, I don’t feel right/Is what she said/I just can’t get up out of bed.” I think we’ve all been in touch with that feeling. But it turns out in this case it is a lie. And the song’s second verse may be about someone specific (you’ll certainly have someone in mind), or it could be about politicians in general. “Well, he looks just like a rapist to me/Says tick his name at the booth/He says he’s telling the truth.” And then these lines at the end stand out because of the time mentioned: “And then the time ticks away/You put away the champagne/Curled up in bed before ten.” It’s interesting that in the previous song he gets up just after ten, and in this one he sings about someone getting to bed just before ten.
“Kiss On My Blues” is a playful, enjoyable number that had me smiling pretty quickly. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Let me pull the shades/I’ll help you misbehave/‘Cause you know what to do/Come here and kiss on my blues.” This track contains some wonderful work on guitar, while a steady foot stomp keeps time. That’s followed by “Sex, Drugs & Cigarettes,” which has a fun rhythm, established at the beginning. I love the way Ivor S. K. delivers his blues with such pleasure. Check out these lyrics: “She’s got a lot of bad habits/But that’s what I like/You don’t see her much at daytime, man/She’s built for the night.” There is another line that surprised me and made me laugh out loud. I won’t spoil it for you here. You’ll appreciate it when you get the album. Then “Wheelin’” features some excellent guitar work. I love the way the guitar parts work together, complementing each other. There is a strong, raw energy to this one.
Ivor S. K. slows things down at the beginning of “Taste Your Lips,” though the track still develops a good groove. “It feels like I’m slippin’ under/Said I can’t really see a point/When I can still taste your lips/On the end of that joint.” Interestingly, it then returns to the guitar part from the beginning. It’s a strong song, apart from its use of the awful “self”/“shelf” rhyme. The next time the song returns to the instrumental section, the pretty guitar work is supported by some nice percussion. That’s followed by “100 Dollar Bills.” This one is delightful, populated by questionable characters, all who want their fill of hundred dollar bills. Then with “Tomorrow Night,” the rhythm is on electric guitar. This cool song contains some finger snaps and a few surprising lines, such as these: “A friend’s pulled in, but I don’t know what for/He’s covered head to toe in blood and twigs/And he says, can you help, I got a hole to dig/Well, all right/Maybe tomorrow night.”
“Down The Road” has an enjoyable, easygoing vibe, featuring some good work on guitar. And just when I’m certain it’s an instrumental track, his vocals come in. This is like a minute before the end. “Down the road I go/Yes, down the road I go.” Ah yes, nothing else is needed to say, and the lyric makes this track, of course, a perfect song to put on a mix CD for your road trips. For it leaves the rest open to whatever it is you’re feeling and experiencing on the drive. That’s followed by “Slow Down,” a delightful song about the progress of a relationship. “Living together, well, it halves the rent/And after all it isn’t permanent/Then she’s holding me awful close/Said she’s something to share/Don’t her left finger look bare.” This is another of the disc’s highlights. Then “Sweet ‘N’ Low” has a cheerful vibe, featuring some wonderful guitar work. The guitar work has such personality. In “No Friend Of Mine,” he sings again of a dishonest character. “You might have a four-story home/You might have pockets deep as ancient Rome/Might drink only the finest of wine/But you ain't no friend of mine.” The album concludes with “Dead Pig,” which has a cool intro, then settles into a delicious, mean blues groove. “And he forgot his meds, there goes his stiff upper lip/He gonna say what he wants/It doesn’t matter/Oh, it doesn’t matter/Got out his guns, his ammunition’s entwined.” And the tension builds from there, the drum work at key moments like gun shots. What a strong finish to an excellent album.
CD Track List
- Mississippi Bound
- I Don’t Roll
- Get Up
- Talkin’ Shit Again
- Kiss On My Blues
- Sex, Drugs & Cigarettes
- Wheelin’
- Taste Your Lips
- 100 Dollar Bills
- Tomorrow Night
- Down The Road
- Slow Down
- Sweet ‘N’ Low
- No Friend Of Mine
- Dead Pig
Mississippi Bound
was released on October 14, 2022.
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