MICHAEL MESSER
''SECOND MIND''
2002
58:07
1/Locomotive Skin/4:31
2/Blue Letters/7:16
3/Hummingbirds in My Soul/3:55
4/Big Wind/4:56
5/Love/4:29
6/Jinx Alright/3:08
7/Shine On/5:21
8/In the Pocket/1:44
9/Riverboat/4:56
10/Tail Feather Blues/4:41
11/Bluer Than Blue/6:25
12/Painting the Blues/6:45
Michael Messer - Vocals & slide guitar
Ruby Turner - Backing vocals
Ed Genis - Guitar
Richard Causon - Keyboards
Louie Genis - Scratching & vinyl drum loops
West Weston - Harmonica
Alan Whetton - Saxophone
Andy Crowdy - Bass
Simon Price - Drums
REVIEW
by Bob Tilling, "Blues & Rhythm", Dec 2002
There are many facets to Michael Messer’s career, working not only as a touring and recording musician but also as record producer, songwriter and expert on the resonator guitar. His playing particularly on metal resonator guitars is much admired, and this his latest outing finds him surrounded by some pretty sharp musicians, while his much loved National steel guitar is not far away. Eleven of the titles are very creative original titles by Messer or with him working in conjunction with Terry Clarke, and many of Messer’s musical mentors can be heard throughout this set. There are strong suggestions of Elmore James in the forceful opening title “Locomotive Skin”, which has an evocative harmonica break from West Weston, and “Jinx Alright”, has touches of early Muddy Waters, but above all else Messer is very much his own man.
The vocals by Messer are very distinctive throughout this very entertaining set and the
added vocal backing by Ruby Turner, on many of the titles, adds great class and style. His guitar picking on both acoustic and electric instruments is challenging and engaging, and the surrounding musicians, including his long time guitar sideman, Ed Genis. Richard Causon – keyboards, Alan Whetton – saxophone, Louie Genis - Turntables, Andy Crowdy – bass, Simon Price – drums, all work sympathetically alongside Messer while being allowed their own creative space.
As mentioned earlier there is some tasty harmonica from West Weston, and particularly on another Muddy influenced title, “Bluer Than Blue”, where he is expressive and controlled.
I think that it is the inventiveness and experimentation, on this second outing for Messer on Catfish Records, that I enjoyed the most. There is no doubt that this is a blues album through and through, which I think will have a wide appeal, but Messer introduces many unusual inventive sounds and ideas that you would not expect on a blues album. Perhaps not all the inventiveness works, but I particularly liked the way in which some tracks led one to the other without a break, which really works on the final two titles. The penultimate title is a strong and gutsy electric track, which leads
beautifully, and seemingly naturally into the acoustic final title – a device often used by others but not quite so effectively as here. All in all this is a strong set from a man who really enjoys what he is doing while willing to take risks, and I hope that I will be able to see them live while on tour starting early next year.
BIOGRAPHY
by Rovi
b. 1956, Middlesex, England.
Alongside Bob Greenwood and Steve Phillips, Messer is the pre-eminent UK guitarist to incorporate the National steel guitar, as well as slide guitar, into his acoustic performances. Messer spent some time in Nashville as a young man soaking up the sounds in the home of country music. He returned to England in the late 70s and bought his first National steel guitar in 1979. His work on the UK blues circuit brought him into contact with singer Mike Cooper, resulting in session work for Cooper and Ian A. Anderson’s 1984 release The Continuous Preaching Blues. During this period Messer also began working with rhythm guitarist Ed Genis, a partnership that would endure into the new millennium.
The Michael Messer Band was formed in 1985 with Messer (guitar/vocals) joined by Ed Genis (guitar/vocals), Andy Crowdy (bass/vocals) and Jeffro Robertson (drums). Messer made his debut three years later with the acclaimed Diving Duck. His name was soon being championed in the UK blues press and in 1991 he won the UK Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year award, sponsored by British Blues Connection, though this was as much an endorsement for his capacity for incorporating styles other than the blues into his playing. Musical ideas borrowed from Hawaiian slide guitar, reggae, jazz and King Sunny Ade’s worldbeat sound all illuminate his playing. The latter style was particularly evident on the breakthrough album that won him his initial strong notices, 1990’s Slidedance : ‘If you look at what was happening in this country, and also what I was doing at that time, there’s a big world music influence, which we were all very into - I was also, at that time, producing tracks with S.E. Rogie and with Ted Hawkins ... I intentionally made the album so it wasn’t a blues album.’
The same description could equally apply to Messer’s 1993 collaboration with singer-songwriter Terry Clarke (who had appeared on Slidedance) and the Lubbock, Texas, guitarist Jesse Taylor, entitled Rhythm Oil. The tour that accompanied its release saw Messer experiment further with elements including house and reggae, with a version of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s ‘Worried Life Blues’ offering an outstanding distillation of blues and contemporary music. Further evidence of his standing came when Newtone Strings launched a new brand of strings with Messer’s name attached, specifically aimed at the national guitar. The ambitious 1995 release MOONbeat featured scratching by DJ Louie Genis (son of Ed Genis) over a fusion of world music and blues. The follow-up National Avenue was recorded with musicians including Ed Genis and Terry Clarke and was given an extremely limited production run.
Messer marked the start of the new millennium with the release of the successful compilation album King Guitar. His next studio album Second Mind featured backing vocals by soul singer Ruby Turner and the return of Louie Genis behind the decks. The album was widely acclaimed and greeted as a more successful update of the formula Messer had first attempted on MOONbeat. In 2005, Messer signed a new recording contract with Cooking Vinyl Records. He made his debut for the label the following year with Lucky Charms.
DoWnLoAd
''SECOND MIND''
2002
58:07
1/Locomotive Skin/4:31
2/Blue Letters/7:16
3/Hummingbirds in My Soul/3:55
4/Big Wind/4:56
5/Love/4:29
6/Jinx Alright/3:08
7/Shine On/5:21
8/In the Pocket/1:44
9/Riverboat/4:56
10/Tail Feather Blues/4:41
11/Bluer Than Blue/6:25
12/Painting the Blues/6:45
Michael Messer - Vocals & slide guitar
Ruby Turner - Backing vocals
Ed Genis - Guitar
Richard Causon - Keyboards
Louie Genis - Scratching & vinyl drum loops
West Weston - Harmonica
Alan Whetton - Saxophone
Andy Crowdy - Bass
Simon Price - Drums
REVIEW
by Bob Tilling, "Blues & Rhythm", Dec 2002
There are many facets to Michael Messer’s career, working not only as a touring and recording musician but also as record producer, songwriter and expert on the resonator guitar. His playing particularly on metal resonator guitars is much admired, and this his latest outing finds him surrounded by some pretty sharp musicians, while his much loved National steel guitar is not far away. Eleven of the titles are very creative original titles by Messer or with him working in conjunction with Terry Clarke, and many of Messer’s musical mentors can be heard throughout this set. There are strong suggestions of Elmore James in the forceful opening title “Locomotive Skin”, which has an evocative harmonica break from West Weston, and “Jinx Alright”, has touches of early Muddy Waters, but above all else Messer is very much his own man.
The vocals by Messer are very distinctive throughout this very entertaining set and the
added vocal backing by Ruby Turner, on many of the titles, adds great class and style. His guitar picking on both acoustic and electric instruments is challenging and engaging, and the surrounding musicians, including his long time guitar sideman, Ed Genis. Richard Causon – keyboards, Alan Whetton – saxophone, Louie Genis - Turntables, Andy Crowdy – bass, Simon Price – drums, all work sympathetically alongside Messer while being allowed their own creative space.
As mentioned earlier there is some tasty harmonica from West Weston, and particularly on another Muddy influenced title, “Bluer Than Blue”, where he is expressive and controlled.
I think that it is the inventiveness and experimentation, on this second outing for Messer on Catfish Records, that I enjoyed the most. There is no doubt that this is a blues album through and through, which I think will have a wide appeal, but Messer introduces many unusual inventive sounds and ideas that you would not expect on a blues album. Perhaps not all the inventiveness works, but I particularly liked the way in which some tracks led one to the other without a break, which really works on the final two titles. The penultimate title is a strong and gutsy electric track, which leads
beautifully, and seemingly naturally into the acoustic final title – a device often used by others but not quite so effectively as here. All in all this is a strong set from a man who really enjoys what he is doing while willing to take risks, and I hope that I will be able to see them live while on tour starting early next year.
BIOGRAPHY
by Rovi
b. 1956, Middlesex, England.
Alongside Bob Greenwood and Steve Phillips, Messer is the pre-eminent UK guitarist to incorporate the National steel guitar, as well as slide guitar, into his acoustic performances. Messer spent some time in Nashville as a young man soaking up the sounds in the home of country music. He returned to England in the late 70s and bought his first National steel guitar in 1979. His work on the UK blues circuit brought him into contact with singer Mike Cooper, resulting in session work for Cooper and Ian A. Anderson’s 1984 release The Continuous Preaching Blues. During this period Messer also began working with rhythm guitarist Ed Genis, a partnership that would endure into the new millennium.
The Michael Messer Band was formed in 1985 with Messer (guitar/vocals) joined by Ed Genis (guitar/vocals), Andy Crowdy (bass/vocals) and Jeffro Robertson (drums). Messer made his debut three years later with the acclaimed Diving Duck. His name was soon being championed in the UK blues press and in 1991 he won the UK Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year award, sponsored by British Blues Connection, though this was as much an endorsement for his capacity for incorporating styles other than the blues into his playing. Musical ideas borrowed from Hawaiian slide guitar, reggae, jazz and King Sunny Ade’s worldbeat sound all illuminate his playing. The latter style was particularly evident on the breakthrough album that won him his initial strong notices, 1990’s Slidedance : ‘If you look at what was happening in this country, and also what I was doing at that time, there’s a big world music influence, which we were all very into - I was also, at that time, producing tracks with S.E. Rogie and with Ted Hawkins ... I intentionally made the album so it wasn’t a blues album.’
The same description could equally apply to Messer’s 1993 collaboration with singer-songwriter Terry Clarke (who had appeared on Slidedance) and the Lubbock, Texas, guitarist Jesse Taylor, entitled Rhythm Oil. The tour that accompanied its release saw Messer experiment further with elements including house and reggae, with a version of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s ‘Worried Life Blues’ offering an outstanding distillation of blues and contemporary music. Further evidence of his standing came when Newtone Strings launched a new brand of strings with Messer’s name attached, specifically aimed at the national guitar. The ambitious 1995 release MOONbeat featured scratching by DJ Louie Genis (son of Ed Genis) over a fusion of world music and blues. The follow-up National Avenue was recorded with musicians including Ed Genis and Terry Clarke and was given an extremely limited production run.
Messer marked the start of the new millennium with the release of the successful compilation album King Guitar. His next studio album Second Mind featured backing vocals by soul singer Ruby Turner and the return of Louie Genis behind the decks. The album was widely acclaimed and greeted as a more successful update of the formula Messer had first attempted on MOONbeat. In 2005, Messer signed a new recording contract with Cooking Vinyl Records. He made his debut for the label the following year with Lucky Charms.
DoWnLoAd
