mail: daniel_fjall@hotmail.com
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lead me on shine eyed mister zen
Lead Me On Kelly Joe Phelps was born in Washington where his father slowly got him interested in drums and jazz piano. As he grew older, he developed a fascination for blues, country and folk and quickly switched from piano to guitar. On his debut album Lead Me On he interprets pre-World War II material with the same conviction and passion as the old Delta masters. Some of the tracks here are written by himself, and they stand their ground next to the timeless songs. All songs are performed naked and sparsely with only Phelps’ vocals and his magnificent acoustic guitar (lapstyle with slide). A lesser musician would have problems with repeating himself in this limited format, but Kelly Joe Phelps is a master of his instrument. It never sounds too thin or repetitive, as Phelps skillfully varies between achingly beautiful melody lead playing and gruff, dirty rhythms. It’s no coincidence that he belongs to the same record company as Jimi Hendrix. It’s hard to pick one song over another, but title track, a Phelps original, is well worth checking out if you have any interest in hearing this, as well as his impressive take on “Fare Thee Well” and maybe “Motherless Children” which showcases Phelps good vocals. Lead Me On is a steady journey back in time, and whilst hardly original or groundbreaking, it is soothingly bittersweet and relaxing. Like coming home to your familiar neighborhood.
Shine Eyed Mister Zen Shine Eyed Mister Zen is the first album to hold a majority of Kelly Joe Phelps’ original compositions and not mainly covers of old, traditional songs. All songs are solo performances and the only things present are the hushed, slightly hoarse, but spiritual vocals and, of course, Phelps' stunning guitar playing. His slide performance on that acoustic guitar is nothing but a god given gift, sometimes sounding like two or even three guitars, and puts Robert Johnson to shame. It looks like the Devil valued his soul more than Johnson’s, I'd say. Sometimes it can be too much of a technical show to be truly affecting, almost like Phelps thinks he needs to prove something. People that heard his earlier work knows that he doesn’t. However, when he focus on the melodies and actual songs, the result is not only impressive from a technical point of view, but also emotionally. I can see why some would be bored, thinking he’s too clinical, but any accusation like that, honest as it may be, must be overlooked when the album closes with “Goodnight Irene”. In the hands of Phelps, the tender melody becomes even more tender, the lyrics sounds far from as generic than they should, and the story becomes even more beautiful and fragile. And that guitar...
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