1910 - DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN - Ocean Or A Teardrop (2004)

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN
''OCEAN OR A TEARDROP''
SEP 2004
45:39

1/Kokomo Blues
Mississippi Fred McDowell/4:52
2/Ocean or a Teardrop
David Jacobs-Strain/4:36
3/Girl I Love
Sleepy John Estes/4:29
4/Sleepless Dream
Peter Joseph Burtt / David Jacobs-Strain/4:17
5/Take My Chances
Peter Joseph Burtt / David Jacobs-Strain / Emory Joseph/5:06
6/Soul of a Man
Willie Johnson/3:35
7/Yelapa Breakdown/4:02
8/Shoot the Devil
David Jacobs-Strain/4:18
9/Earthquake
David Jacobs-Strain/4:46
10/Illinois
David Jacobs-Strain/5:12
11/[Untitled Track]/0:19

Peter Joseph Burtt /Drums, Kora, Shaker, Vocals
Mark Clark /Drums
Danny Click /Guitar (Electric)
Joe Craven /Fiddle, Mandolin, Oud
Joe Filisko /Harmonica
Kendrick Freeman /Congas, Djembe, Drums
David Jacobs-Strain /Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals
Kenny Passarelli /Bass, Drum Loop, Fender Rhodes, Guitar (Bass), Noise, Organ (Hammond), Producer, Vocals
Tim Stroh /Drum Loop, Producer
Anne Weiss /Vocals

REVIEW
by Chris Nickson
Already established as a major young figure in the blues, David Jacobs-Strain widens his horizons a bit with this album. Blues remains at the roots, but in some cases, such as the adventurous "Earthquake" or the lyrical "Illinois," it's a little obscured by the branches overhead. That's not to say he's entirely turning his back on what begat him: there are splendid versions of songs by Blind Willie Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell here, while his version of Sleepy John Estes' "Girl I Love" is a delight of slide guitar played with a maturity far beyond his young ears. But Jacobs-Strain has rapidly developed as a writer, as something like "Take My Chances" shows. Featuring oud and kora along with more standard Western instruments, it's a tour de force for his gravelly voice, while "Yelapa Breakdown" transports him somewhat into early country territory, with some superb fiddle work from Joe Craven (who's also outstanding on the title track). But perhaps the hardest-hitting cuts here feature a very small band -- both "Shoot the Devil" and "Sleepless Dream" benefit from a glorious tension in the arrangements that propels the music along. Getting better on guitar every day, never flashy or arrogant about his talent, Jacobs-Strain is set to become a major figure in music, not just blues.

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1899 - DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN - Stuck On The Way Back (2002)

DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN
''STUCK ON THE WAY BACK''
JUN 2002
49:54
NORTHERNBLUES MUSIC

1/River Was Green
David Jacobs-Strain/4:02
2/Bowlegged Charlie
Otis Taylor/4:10
3/Poor Black Mattie
R.L. Burnside/4:35
4/Sidewalk Rag
David Jacobs-Strain/2:40
5/Poor Boy/Nobody's Fault
Traditional/8:29
6/Black and Blue
David Jacobs-Strain / Otis Taylor/3:52
7/Dark Horse Blues
David Jacobs-Strain/5:18
8/Wild Bill Jones
Traditional/5:45
9/Linin' Track
Huddie Ledbetter / Traditional/3:23
10/Old Man Dancing
David Jacobs-Strain/1:31
11/Cold Mountain Blues
David Jacobs-Strain/4:03
12/Broken Wings
David Jacobs-Strain/2:06

David Jacobs-Strain /Arranger, Artwork, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Resonator), Slide Guitar, Vocals
Kenny Passarelli /Bass, Guest Artist, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Producer

REVIEW
by Chris Nickson
David Jacobs-Strain might still be young, but he has a formidable arsenal at his command, with a guitar technique and power that's second to none and a voice that's decades older than his baby face. But once you get past the contrast between his appearance and the fire in his sound, it's apparent you're in the presence of a very talented bluesman, one of the best of a new generation. While he's a precise picker on acoustic, almost too clean at times, his slide work can be wonderfully dirty and his voice sounds as if he's spent several years eating gravel. The biggest surprise, though, is how accomplished he is as a writer, not just aping the form, but getting deep inside it on songs like "Cold Mountain Blues" and "River Was Green." He has a good ear for other songs, too, by Otis Taylor, R.L. Burnside, and a good selection of traditional tunes, including a storming version of "Poor Boy/Nobody's Fault but Mine" whose slide work shows the strong influence Blind Willie Johnson had on his playing. He's a talent who's moving on fast and maturing with scary speed. In a few years he's going to be a towering figure on the blues scene.

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