I Hope That He's In Heaven Sittin' Down

A superb delta blues compilation, The Best Of Mississippi Fred McDowell. One of the last of the original delta bluesmen to be "discovered", he was still at the height of his powers which sadly wasn't always the case with his contemporaries and predecessors. He also seemed a genuinely contented man without that edge of bitterness which again ( perfectly understandably ) was the case with others. This disk is a fine document to his powerful expressive voice and excellent slide guitar playing ( he was mainly responsible for teaching the style to Bonnie Raitt ) The material ranges from what are undoubtedly his own compositions ( he received a substantial royalty cheque near the end of his life after the Stones recorded You Gotta Move ) to covers of Little Walter's My Babe, adaptations of traditional songs from the deep past and even the spiritual I Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down, a side of his music he shared with his wife Annie Mae. It's gratifying that we have these glimpses back into a time past that recedes ever more swiftly as the years pass. The music still connects.