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17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 A Primer on the 'Bentonia' Approach to Delta Blues Apr 03, 2000
By Chuck Hicks
Nehemiah Curtis 'Skip' James is credited as the founder of the 'Bentonia school' of Delta blues. In reality, James was the full embodiment of this idiom, and Biograph's 'Greatest of the Delta Blues Singers' is an excellent overview. The CD contains 12 songs James recorded in one sitting at Falls Church, VA, on December 16, 1964. These were the first recordings James had made since being 'rediscovered' in a Mississipi hospital earlier that year. On the track list are six works from the early days of Skip James' career, including the classics 'Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,' 'Devil Got My Woman,' 'Cherry Ball Blues,' and 'Cypress Grove Blues.' The remaining songs are either reworked Delta standards or newer material written by James. The listener will not be disappointed; the digital transfer of this recording is as impressive as the performances. 'Hardtime Killing Floor Blues' is considered by some as the penultimate Depression era song, and James' eerie performance here suggests what could be the lament of the downtrodden for all ages. His aged voice soars in a lonely falsetto against the backdrop of ominous bass string lines and nervous upper string picking. The guitar work throughout maintains this constant tension between low register anger and high-pitched fear. James' voice sounds as if it seeks escape from theses dark extremes. Unlike other Delta artists, James did not use a slide. His was an elaborate finger-picking style more akin to Piedmont bluesmen like Brownie McGhee and Cephas & Wiggins. He was also fond of using drop E tuning and dissonant solos to heighten the tension of his music. 'Sick Bed Blues,' written after James was diagnosed with cancer, contains passages where his guitar intentionally gallops away off-key, dramatically suggesting the artist's reaction to learning of his terminal illness. 'Greatest of the Delta Blues Singers' is not for the faint of heart. If genuine, painful blues is what the listener wants to experience, it doesn't get more brazen than this. Skip James was not simply the purveyor of a unique style; his music in many ways reflects the darkest shades of human nature.
18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Remastering of a Classic Album Jan 03, 2004
By Steve Vrana
This remastered edition of Skip James' 1964 Biograph LP GREATEST OF THE DELTA BLUES SINGERS is a testament to how well his material as aged over the past four decades. James first recorded for Paramount in 1931 and then virtually disappeared until 1964 when (among others) John Fahey rescued him from obscurity. It had been nearly 20 years since James was convinced to perform at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. His reception prompted him to enter the recording studio for the first time in 30 years. The result is this amazing album. Twelve stellar songs featuring James' haunting falsetto and stunning picking. There's an eerie quality to James' music that will give you chills. One listen will convince you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
The other side of the Delta Feb 23, 2004
By Frederick Schenker
Skip James was a contemporary of Robert Johnson who possessed an eerie falsetto voice and pristine fingerpicking. James quit music entirely after making some legendary sides in the 30's and this recording was his first in over 20 years. The title track, his anthem for the Great Depression, was featured on "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?" when Chris Thomas King played it by the campfire. This album intimately captures James' haunting playing and offers a chance to hear an original master in a high quality recording.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
The Return of the Legend Oct 23, 2002
By Caesar
The legendary Nehemiah "Skip" James made his first recordings with Paramount in the 1930s shortly before the label folded. Most of these have been tracked down on 78s and collected on "The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James", an essential album for blues aficionado.This album, however, includes some of the studio recordings made after his rediscovery on the 1960s. These are dramatically different than his early works, but to say that his musical ability diminished over the years is ludicrous. Most noticably, his voice changed. He sings with even more intimacy and heartbreak than before (although, after hearing the early recordings, that just doesn't seem possible!). His falsetto is more fragile, his moans are more painful, his words are sung with added meaning. Want to make your blood curl? First listen to the original "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" from the 1930s. This is one of the most powerful blues songs ever recorded, fully documenting the poverty, murder, and horror of the Depression-era deep south. Then listen to the version of the same song on this album...the pacing is slower, the words are almost whispers, the guitar work is eerie and crawling, his voice is more fragile. He sounds broken. Thirty years of living penniless in the Mississippi Delta will do that to a man. James revisits all of his famous songs--"Killing Floor", "Devil Got My Woman", "Cypress Grove", "Cherry Ball"--all of which are very different from their original recordings. And it's all guitar work; James had apparently retired from piano playing by the time of his rediscovery. He includes a unique rendition of the folk-blues classic "Catfish Blues". He also gives us some new tracks--most outstanding are "Washington DC Hospital Center Blues" and "Sick Bed Blues", both of which are about his long battle with cancer, which ultimately claimed him just a couple years after these recordings. Some would argue that Skip James reached his peak in the 1930s and these later recordings are of lesser quality. I beg to differ--I'd say that he never lost it. He only grew older, and his music changed with him. Not only was his musical genius as strong as ever, he had lived through thirty years of hell--thus giving him the uncanny ability to drive the blues into your soul like a stake through the heart.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Haunting blues... Dec 06, 2005
By B. Bowman
"Double B"
Skip James recorded the songs on this CD in 1964, the same year he was "rediscovered" and performed at the Newport Folk Festival. This is simply one of the most direct blues recordings I've heard. This is just Skip James, nothing is added to the performances. Skip James frequently sings in a melancholy falsetto and accompanies himself on acoustic guitar tuned to minor keys. Even when he sings in a lower register he sounds like he is mumbling or talking to himself, which makes the music seem turned inward, as opposed to shouting out the blues to the world. This is dark, deep, brooding blues, and is such a great listen. The sound quality is great too and it sounds like he is right in the room with you. Skip James sings of his battle with cancer on "Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues" and of course sings about woman trouble on songs like "Devil Got My Woman", my favorite song on this CD. This is one of my favorite acoustic blues CD's, there are times when only Skip James can hit the spot. The way he delivered his vocals was unique and combined with his guitar playing made for some incredible music. If you are a fan of acoustic blues Skip James has to be in your collection, and this disc is a great place to start.
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