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Unfortunately, in Italy, Sonny Landreth is practically (semi)unknown.
Yet, he truly deserves recognition.
Sonny is a skilled guitarist famous mainly for his slide guitar playing, while simultaneously intertwining other techniques. It works like this: the bottleneck is held on the pinky of the left hand, so that the other four fingers can simultaneously play the chords, while the right hand engages in tapping, slapping, and other feats.
His style is recognizable among thousands, almost seemingly more appreciated by other artists than by the rest of the world. His signature can be found on many albums as a special guest: John Hiatt (the most famous collaboration), Gov't Mule, John Mayall, and Eric Clapton, just to name a few.
However, Landreth's solo albums are the most interesting, as the technique is extended to more experimental levels and his voice is pure essence of finesse.
"South Of I-10" is a very refined album, which at the same time follows and precedes a series of excellent records. The previous album, "Outward Bound" is equally enchanting, while the subsequent "Crazy Cajun Recordings" is an interesting revisited collection of old black dance music.
But let's return to the album in question: the alternation of rock, southern rock, blues, and a slight Cajun influence are almost tangible, while the calling card "Shooting For The Moon" kicks off with its unstoppable guitar, wandering on that highway from which the work takes its name. "Creole Angel" imparts that sweet aura of joy that the genre creates with Sonny calling with his voice and responding with his guitar; this liveliness is always present in the guitarist's works.
The most interesting track for technique enthusiasts is undoubtedly "Native Stepsons", the instrumental rock blues in which Sonny unleashes his creativity, transcending the boundaries of his own technique. The riff, which is revisited between improvisations, is simple and ingenious in contradiction with the rest and renders the song rhythmic and well-paced.
The performance of "Orphans Of The Mother Land", a special ballad dedicated to the much-persecuted Indian people, is outstanding, while the atmospheres become more mystic and somber in "Congo Square", where the atmospheres reveal a spiritual world of superstitions. "Turning Wheel" is a good swaggering swing, catchy and joyful melody that gives "speed" to the album.
The title track is the greatest celebration of Landreth's style. Everything speaks of this artist: situation, rhythm, sound, and atmosphere. Meanwhile, with the keyboard of "Cajun Waltz", it ventures into a tribute to sweetness and calmness, just to show that even a slow song can be invigorating.
But now we arrive at the most popular moment of the album, the moment when an acoustic guitar is brought out, and the joy of slide playing begins: "Mojo Boogie", the popular song transformed in a modern key. A crazy "C'est Chaude" starts to give the final twist, making way for a slightly more commercial track than the others "Great Gulf Wind". The classic closing piece is assigned to "12" which gently closes the album instrumentally with its short duration, and its intense catchiness fades slowly into the magic of silence.
I hope you'll give Sonny Landreth a listen, because he is perhaps one of America's most underrated artists.
Unfortunately.
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 Creole Angel (04:16)
Bottle rocket combo got a corner on the crowd
Under her old balcony above a bar called
The black cat prowl
Setts off memories how she laughed every time
I'd break her silence with a piece of my mind
A callin'
Creole angel come on down
Pray tell are you ready now?
Dusty saint on the dashboard
Will bless the berth of my old ford
Creole angel northbound
Even now I hear the sound
Of open arms like wings apart
Taking off with a jump start
Creole angel my creole angel
Jump start baby
It's a jet stream of conscious
Out of body tale
Through the natchez trace
Like a vapor trail
We saw the steam rise and the mercury fall
Between new orleans and old montreal
I remember
Creole angel come on down
Pray tell are you ready now?
Dusty saint on the dashboard
Will bless the berth of my old ford
Creole angel northbound
Even now I hear the sound
Of open arms like wings apart
Taking off with a jump start
Creole angel my creole angel
05 Congo Square (06:24)
might be superstition but some kind of somethin'
goin' on down there
it might be superstition but some kind of somethin'
goin' on down there
it's an old time tradition when they play their
drums at night in Congo Square
you can hear 'em in the distance
and the old folks up the bayou say a prayer
you can hear 'em in the distance
and the old folks up the bayou say a prayer
that's when the voodoo people gather
and they play their drums at night in Congo Square
... voodoo people
my eyes were not believin'
what I seen there but I could not turn away
my eyes were not believin'
what I seen there but I could not turn away
they had that mojo in motion
and I seen 'em dance in trance with that snake
... snake dance
it might be superstition
but when I hear 'em in the night I say a prayer
yeah it might be superstition
but when I hear 'em in the night I say a prayer
because I respects tradition
like the kind they carry on in Congo Square
... Congo Square
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