In 1949, a brief flurry of interest in old-timey country blues resulted in this 15-song session by
Blind Willie McTell for the newly formed Atlantic Records. Only two songs, "Kill It Kid" and "Broke Down Engine Blues," were ever issued on a failed single, and the session was forgotten until almost 20 years later.
McTell is mostly solo here, vividly captured on acoustic 12-string (his sometime partner
Curley Weaver may have been present on some tracks), and in excellent form. The playing and the repertory are representative of
McTell as he was at this point in his career, a blues veteran rolling through his paces without skipping a beat and quietly electrifying the listener. Songs include "Dying Crapshooter's Blues," "The Razor Ball," and "Ain't I Grand to Live a Christian." ~ Bruce Eder