#497 : The Reverend Shawn Amos - The Cause of it All

 

2021 – Put Together Music

Release Date : May 21, 2021

By Phillip Smith; April 24, 2021

The Cause of it All, the fourth studio album from The Reverend Shawn Amos, is the eighth release overall for Amos.  Taking advantage of time in quarantine, Amos teamed up with guitarist Chris “Doctor” Roberts, of Amos’ full band, The Brotherhood to record an album of classic blues songs in a raw, stripped-down fashion.  Amos’ magnetic vocals and wailing harp are the perfect match for the deliciously swampy guitar playing from Roberts.  As a duo, the chemistry between the two makes for a superb album of blues.

The album starts off with an intoxicating cover of “Spoonful”, the Willie Dixon classic made famous by Howlin’ Wolf.  It’s delivered with a matter-of-factness that sends chills down my spine.  With The Reverend belting out fearless vocals and harmonica notes that seemingly hover above the song in mid-air, The Doctor hammers out flesh-ripping guitar licks.  It’s absolutely wonderful.  They fabulously follow up with a killer blues-rocker off The Red Devils 1992 debut album King King called “Goin’ to the Church”.  It’s a fitting tribute to frontman Lester Butler who wrote the song and sadly passed away from a drug overdose in 1998 at the age of thirty-eight.  Impassioned with heavy emotion, The Reverend delivers another cut-to-the-bone gem in Howlin’ Wolf’s “Color and Kind”.  Intimate and charming, their acoustic performances of “Baby Please Don’t Go” and “Hoochie Coochie Man” put a gleaming smile on my face.

This is one of the best blues albums I’ve heard this year.  The Cause of it All has everything it needs to be a contender for Best Traditional Blues Album.                          

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : www.shawnamos.com

 

 

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