Payin' for My Sins
| Payin' for My Sins | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Studio | Dog House Recording | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Shanachie | |||
| Producer | Dennis Walker | |||
| Grady Champion chronology | ||||
| ||||
Payin' for My Sins is an album by the American musician Grady Champion, released in 1999.[1][2] It was his first album for Shanachie Records.[3] Champion supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by Dennis Walker.[5] Champion cowrote or wrote eight of its songs.[6] Alan Mirikitani contributed on lead guitar.[7] "Don't Start Me Talkin'" is a version of the Sonny Boy Williamson II song.[8] "She's Some Kind of Wonderful" is a cover of the Soul Brothers Six song.[3] "Goin' Down Slow" uses the music of the Jimmy Oden song to relate a story of a cousin succumbing to AIDS.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [10] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer |  [11] |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | [12] |
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that "Champion's strengths in this sometimes funky, always soulful outing, are his strong vocals and songwriting skills, in which he blends his urbane vision into a traditional style."[12] The Independent opined that the production gives the "material a subtlety and classiness not shared by much of the competition."[13] The Philadelphia Inquirer concluded that "you can hear echoes of [Robert] Cray in tracks such as 'You Got Some Explaining to Do', with its tension between the pointed lyrics and smooth, horns-and-organ groove... But his engagingly robust and reedy voice gives Champion a commanding presence of his own."[11] The Clarion-Ledger opined that "Champion's gravely voice and more than capable harmonica make this a very entertaining album."[14] The Star Tribune deemed Payin' for My Sins "one of 1999's most stirring blues platters."[15]
AllMusic said that Champion's "voice is rough, more a shouter and screamer than a trained singer, sandpaper over silk, with imprecise phrasings."[9]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Smilin' Again" | |
| 2. | "You Got Some Explaining to Do" | |
| 3. | "Good as New" | |
| 4. | "She's Some Kind of Wonderful" | |
| 5. | "My Rooster Is King" | |
| 6. | "Goin' Down Slow" | |
| 7. | "Payin' for My Sins" | |
| 8. | "Troubled Mind" | |
| 9. | "Let Me Be" | |
| 10. | "Roberta" | |
| 11. | "Don't Start Me Talkin'" | |
| 12. | "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" | |
| 13. | "Dreamin'" |
References
[edit]- ^ Krampert, Peter (2016). The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. Mel Bay Publications, Inc. p. 35.
- ^ "Champion to play". Springfield News-Sun. Oct 13, 1999. p. 5.
- ^ a b c McGuinness, Jim (26 May 2000). "Once a Rapper, Now a Champion of the Blues". Lifestyle/Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 14.
- ^ Schardl, Kati (21 July 2000). "Playin' the blues". Tallahassee Democrat. p. G12.
- ^ "Grady Champion". Miami Herald. Jun 4, 1999. p. 25G.
- ^ Hall, Jeff (Nov 5, 1999). "Champion's Blues". Courier-Post. p. 19T.
- ^ "Grady Champion". Retford Times. Nov 18, 1999. p. 38.
- ^ Wallace, Bob (Oct 16, 1999). "Grady Champion: Payin' for My Sins". The Morning Call. p. A59.
- ^ a b "Payin' for My Sins Review by Michael G. Nastos". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 113.
- ^ a b Cristiano, Nick (26 Dec 1999). "A Time to Rejoice and Get the Blues". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I14.
- ^ a b White, Jim (31 Oct 1999). "The Best of a New Batch of Blues Albums". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. G4.
- ^ Trapp, Roger (4 Dec 1999). "Jazz & Blues". Features. The Independent. p. 39.
- ^ Snow, Donnie (Sep 23, 1999). "Grady Champion promising new blues talent". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 17F.
- ^ Surowicz, Tom (8 Oct 1999). "Hurricane Grady". Free Time. Star Tribune. p. 11.