STACY MITCHHART
LIVE MY LIFE
DR SAM RECORDS DSR 012
I DRINK WHISKEY–COME TOGETHER–SHE KNOWS WHAT TO DO–VOODOO DOLL–SOUL STROLL–BETTER OFF DEAD–LIVE MY LIFE–I’M THE REASON (SHE WALKS THAT WAY)–LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND–BOOGIE BAR AND BBQ–CAT BOWL BLUES–WORRIED MIND BLUES
For those of us who have been fortunate enough to see Stacy Mitchhart live, then you know he is the consummate showman, always bringing the crowd everything he’s got, every night. But, for those of us who have known him for a while, there’s a Delta soul hiding out under those silk suits, one who enjoys the power and passion of the region that brought the blues to life in the first place.
For his latest album, “Live My Life,” it is Stacy’s return to his roots that makes this set a special one. There are twelve cuts, and he does keep one foot in the soul-blues genre’ for several cuts, but it is the cuts that Stacy plays with his cigar-box guitars and other traditional instruments that give this set its unique flavor.
Stacy is a fantastic guitarist and singer, and he wrote or co-wrote six of the songs herein. He kicks off the festivities with a powerhouse ode to his favorite libation, “I Drink Whiskey.” This one features harp from Jacob Tipton and the horn section of Corey Distefano and Jules Caldarera. This one ends with Stacy name-checking everyone from Jim Beam to Evan Williams as Stacy “drinks to remember all the reasons I’m not with you!” “Soul Stroll” is one of those good-time, old-school instrumentals with Stacy’s guitar leading the way over the horns and B-3. Stacy even explores a jazzy vibe on his cover of Gil Scott-Heron’s story of the man who “had more women than Detroit had cars,” the self-proclaimed “Legend In His Own Mind.”
The title cut is a killer Hill-Country stomper, fueled by Stacy’s three-stringed cigar box guitar, Jacob’s country-blues harp, and the freight-train pounding of Darin James’ drums. “Cat Bowl Blues” is anotherexcellent instrumental, and the set closes with Stacy’s original “Worried Mind,” done here by Stacy on ukelele and dobro.
We had two favorites, too. Stacy chooses a four-stringed cigar box guitar to catch that “flattop, groovin’ up slowly,” in a brilliant acoustic read of “Come Together.” And, one of his soul-blues cuts describes his woman and her long legs, and the fact that “I’m The Reason (She Walks That Way!)
Stacy Mitchhart has found his hoodoo man’s soul deep in the grooves of “Live My Life.” He’s loving what he’s doing, and is comfortable in doing it. This set is his defining moment! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.
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