Candice Ivory, “The Queen of Avant Soul,” dedicates an entire album to the music of Memphis Minnie. Collaborating with the jazz/R&B/hip-hop guitarist/bassist Charlie Hunter, the two put a heavily percussive, raw, and primitive sound, unlike any done before, to the legend’s music on When the Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie. Sometimes being long overlooked can take a dramatic turn when another artist or a swelling movement takes hold.
With over 200 recordings to choose from, Ivory and Hunter selected a mix of the biggest hits, more obscure tunes, and a balance of secular and sacred. Hunter plays his hybrid guitar/bass and partners with DaShawn Hickman on pedal steel and three percussionists – Atiba Rorie, Brevan Hampden, and drummer George Sluppick. The twin guitars are appropriate as Minnie is credited, along with the Memphis Sheiks, for developing the twin guitar sound on Beale Street. The album begins with the tribal percussion for one of Minnie’s most covered tunes, “Me and My Chauffeur,” reminiscent for Ivory of her road trip from St. Louis to that marked grave in Memphis. Hickman’s steel strikes a balance between the sacred and cutting blues. Even the most ardent Led Zeppelin fans may not recognize the Afro-Cuban, chanting rendition of the title track, which sounds as if it’s lifted from an ancient field recording save the sound quality. Ivory’s accompaniment is strictly percussion and her layered vocals.
“You Can’t Rule Me,” is emblematic of Minnie’s rebellious songs, shunned at the time and confined to ‘race music’ and features blistering guitar work from both Hickman and Hunter. “When You Love Me’ settles into a country blues rendition, a duet with Ivory and Hunter, and one of the few without percussion. “Blues Everywhere” is an earthy acoustic tune as well with Sluppick and the percussionists joining in. Ivory’s vocal here, like on most, is authentic and achingly passionate.
Ivory’s wails on the gospel-infused standout “Crazy Crying Blues” inducing an almost Pavlovian call and response from Hunter and the percussionists. “World of Trouble” has a conventional blues structure, punctuated by Hickman’s incisive steel but the lyrics likely found their way into other blues songs that came later such as “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere.” “Pile Driving Blues” has the kind of filthy funk Hunter is noted for while “Hole in the Wall” and “Hoodoo Lady,” the latter featuring Hickman, both reflect Ivory’s Black church background. “Hard Down Lie” is perhaps the most straightforward blues song in the set, with Hunter and Hickman delivering crisp, hard-hitting riffs. The closer, “New Bumble Bee” is a reimagining of Minnie’s big hit, “Bumble Bee,” taken with a Taj Mahal Caribbean flair.
The ‘less is more’ approach generally plays to Ivory’s advantage, especially in the deep blues and gospel-tinged tunes. While the first half of the album may veer a bit toward inventive interpretations, the latter half especially shines.
