Most Things Haven't Worked Out
| Most Things Haven't Worked Out | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Fat Possum | |||
| Producer | Bruce Watson, Matthew Johnson | |||
| Junior Kimbrough chronology | ||||
| ||||
Most Things Haven't Worked Out is an album by the American musician Junior Kimbrough, released in 1997.[1][2] It was his third album for Fat Possum Records and the last before his 1998 death.[3]
Production[edit]
All of the album's songs were written by Kimbrough, who generally did not cover the material of other musicians.[4] He elected to keep his mistakes and missed notes on the tracks.[5] Three of the tracks were recorded at his Mississippi juke joint.[6] John Hermann helped produce a few of the songs.[7] Kenny Brown served as the second guitarist.[8] The title track is an instrumental.[9]
Critical reception[edit]
The Village Voice wrote: "Lurking beneath an ostensibly primitive surface are suggestions of jazz-inflected bluesmen like Robert Jr. Lockwood."[16] Guitar Player determined that "there's a deeply hypnotic quality to Junior Kimbrough's old-as-all-of-time slow blues, perfected over a lifetime of playing jukes around Holly Springs, Mississippi."[17] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said that "Kimbrough plays the blues to mesmerize, with elements that give trance, ambient/techno and dub its entrainment and rock and roll its visceral claw and kick."[18]
The Washington Post noted that "Kimbrough has a soft spot for love songs and slowly grinding dance grooves."[19] The Boston Herald concluded that "what sounds primitive at first gains unexpected power through repetition and deceptively sophisticated shifts of texture, tone and rhythm."[10] Robert Christgau praised "Lonesome Road".[11]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings considered Most Things Haven't Worked Out to be Kimbrough's best album.[14]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lonesome Road" | |
| 2. | "I'm in Love" | |
| 3. | "Everywhere I Go" | |
| 4. | "Burn in Hell" | |
| 5. | "Most Things Haven't Worked Out" | |
| 6. | "Leave Her Alone" | |
| 7. | "I Love Ya Baby" | |
| 8. | "I'm Leaving You Baby" |
References[edit]
- ^ Morris, Chris (Dec 7, 1996). "Epitaph to distribute Fat Possum". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 49.
- ^ Garbarini, Vic (Oct 1997). "Most Things Haven't Worked Out". Playboy. Vol. 44, no. 10. p. 26.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (21 Jan 1998). "David (Junior) Kimbrough, 67, a Blues Musician". The New York Times. p. D24.
- ^ Rubin, Mike (3 Feb 1998). "Junior Kimbrough, 1930–1998". The Village Voice. Vol. 43, no. 5. p. 130.
- ^ a b Ellis, Bill (May 10, 1997). "Recordings". The Commercial Appeal. p. C3.
- ^ a b "Most Things Haven't Worked Out Review by Paul Collins". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Ellis, Bill (23 Nov 2001). "Captured by that wild hill boogie". The Commercial Appeal. p. G2.
- ^ Timberg, Scott (Apr 24, 1997). "Real blues". Music. The Day. New London. p. 4.
- ^ "Junior Kimbrough – You Better Run: The Essential Junior Kimbrough". Reviews. No Depression. November 2002.
- ^ a b "Discs". Boston Herald. 30 Jan 1998. p. S28.
- ^ a b "Junior Kimbrough". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Hadley, Frank-John (July 1997). "Most Things Haven't Worked Out". DownBeat. Vol. 64, no. 7. p. 63.
- ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 209.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 347.
- ^ Sterdan, Darryl (Sep 26, 1997). "Blues". Winnipeg Sun. p. 38.
- ^ Marlowe, Ann (27 May 1997). "Playing possum". The Village Voice. Vol. 42, no. 21. p. 70.
- ^ Obrecht, Jas (Jun 1997). "Lonesome road blues". Guitar Player. Vol. 31, no. 6. p. 113.
- ^ Kuelker, Michael (24 July 1997). "Most Things Haven't Worked Out Junior Kimbrough". Go. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8.
- ^ Joyce, Mike (31 Dec 1997). "Blues & Roots: The Mississippi Sound". The Washington Post. p. C7.