Rough Guide to Hillbilly Blues

Given that Trump's administration recently clumsily marked Black History Month by implying Frederick Douglass was still alive, this album is a timely release. While it does not feature any black musicians, it is an enjoyable testament to what the black and white working classes of the 1920s and 30s had in common – musically, at least.

Some of the singers have a more polite-sounding croon than the black bluesmen of the time generally did –Dick Justice is recognisably part of today's country continuum. Others sound uncannily similar to legendary black blues musicians of the time. Sam McGee's ‘Buck Dancer's Choice’ has a lot in common with the Reverend Gary Davis. Bayless Rose sings considerably like Mississippi John Hurt did, albeit with a nasal twang. Then there's a degree of outright mimicry: on ‘Blue Grass Twist’ by the South Georgia Highballers, the instructions to ‘shake that thing!’ and the tone employed by the singer sounds like a direct impersonation of an African-American voice, though one that never becomes outright caricature. There are also one or two performances here that are entirely unique: Clarence Greene, a new name to me, is very much his own man, with a cool, haughty delivery and a mean way with a guitar.