Sleepy John Estes wasn't a great singer, and he was a barely passable guitarist, and yet he managed to sustain an intermittent career in the blues for over 50 years. He was able to do that because he was an amazingly subtle songwriter, with a clear grasp of characterization, location, and metaphor, traits not usually associated with the country blues. This single-disc collection has several examples of Estes' deceptive skill, including some self-analysis ("I Ain't Gonna Be Worried No More"), and even a study in pop dynamics ("Time Is Drawing Near"), while the deceptively simple "Brownsville Blues" equates a stalled car with a stalled life. Time after time one finds that these songs, which appear so simple and calm on the surface, reveal surprising depth and unexpected lyrical turns when closely examined. There is simply no one else in country blues quite like Estes.
© Steve Leggett /TiVo