Lightnin' Hopkins

Lightnin' Hopkins - Lightnin' Strikes plus Lightnin' Hopkins (2013) {Remastered and Expanded Soul Jam 600821 rec 1959-1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 332 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 180 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 282 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remastering
© 1959-62, 2013 Soul Jam Records | 600821
Blues / Acoustic Texas Blues / Regional Blues / Texas Blues

Lightnin’ Hopkins is arguably the greatest Texas blues star of the 1960s era. A country bluesman of the highest caliber, his career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s. Along the way, Hopkins watched the genre change remarkably, but he never altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. His style, strong rhythms punctuated by his flowing but compact lead lines, created a stinging and heart-tearing evocative sound.

Recorded for Prestige's Bluesville subsidiary in 1960 and reissued on CD for Fantasy's Original Blues Classics (OBC) series in 1990, Lightnin' is among the rewarding acoustic dates Lightnin' Hopkins delivered in the early '60s. The session has an informal, relaxed quality, and this approach serves a 48-year-old Hopkins impressively well on both originals like "Thinkin' 'Bout an Old Friend" and the familiar "Katie Mae" and enjoyable interpretations of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee's "Back to New Orleans" and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "Mean Old Frisco." Hopkins' only accompaniment consists of bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Belton Evans, both of whom play in an understated fashion and do their part to make this intimate setting successful. From the remorseful "Come Back Baby" to more lighthearted, fun numbers like "You Better Watch Yourself" and "Automobile Blues," Lightnin' is a lot like being in a small club with Hopkins as he shares his experiences, insights and humor with you. - Alex Henderson (AMG)

Lightnin' Hopkins recorded so often and for so many labels that it's easy to get lost in it all, and there is virtually no such thing as the perfect Hopkins album. He did his thing each time out, whether acoustic or electric, solo or with a band, half improvising his lyrics over a small assortment of different blues shuffles, shifting chords and gears seemingly at whim (which made him frequently difficult to accompany, even for the sharpest session player). His tough, Texas take on the country blues, though, and his penchant for off the wall themes and lyrics, made Hopkins an utterly unique bluesman, and if he seems to be pulling the same rabbit out of the same hat time and time again, he somehow managed to make it seem like a new trick each time. This extremely loose set was recorded in Houston in 1974 and was originally released as part of Samuel Charters' Legacy of the Blues series that same year. It features Hopkins playing an acoustic guitar with an electric pick up backed by a valiant three-piece band that consisted of Ira James on harmonica, Larry "Bones" McCall on drums, and Rusty Myers and Ozell Roberts splitting time on bass. These guys try to make sense of Hopkins' personalized sense of rhythm as best they can, and together with Hopkins' skewed, half improvised lyrics, they manage to make a few things work here, including the conversational "The Hearse Backed Up to the Door," the metaphor-filled "I Been Burning Bad Gasoline," and the brisk instrumental, "Doin' My Boogie," one of two bonus tracks included in this reissue. Most of these songs, though, feel like the kinds of things a band plays before actually recording a take, when little things like tempo and rhythm are still being worked on, and the end result seems even more ragged and random than the typical ragged and random Lightnin' Hopkins session.- Steve Leggett (AMG)

Lightnin' Hopkins - Thinkin' And Worryin': The Aladdin Singles 1947-1952 (2016) {Jasmine Records JASMCD 3085}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 180 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 141 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 187 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1947-52, 2016 Jasmine Records | JASMCD 3085
Blues / Acoustic Texas Blues / Regional Blues / Texas Blues

Lightnin' Hopkins was one of the greatest and most popular authentic blues artists. These 26 titles comprise the first 13 singles released by Lightnin' Hopkins between 1947 and 1952. They weren't his first recordings but they were the first released under his own name. Although he did record with other musicians and even with full bands it's these acoustic classics that best illustrate his art and they are some of the most endearing blues tracks ever recorded. Includes the popular songs "Katie Mae Blues", "Big Mama Jump" and his biggest chart hit "Shotgun Blues". A true genius of the genre, this Lightnin' Hopkins release by Jasmine is a must have for blues and R&B fans.