Blind Lemon Pledge – Oh So Good
OFEH Records
12 Track – 42 Minutes
In 2008, James “Blind Lemon Pledge” Byfield decided to pursue a musical career. His interest in old style acoustic blues led him to create a performing persona in keeping with the greats such as Son House and Blind Lemon Jefferson. He came upon his new character name in a skit by comedian Martin Mull. Martin used the character of a white bluesman as both an homage and a parody on bluesmen. Originally James intended to only use the character for a one-shot, but found the name stuck with him.
Now 16 years and ten albums later, he continues to perform his mostly acoustic style blues on eleven original tracks and one cover. The San Francisco based musician plays guitar and provides the vocals on all tracks. He is joined by Peter Grenell on bass and Juli Moscovitz on drums. Together they deliver a fun blend of eclectic music.
The album kicks off with “Big Bill”, a worker who lives in the shadow of the boss man but is in love with Adeline, the boss man’s daughter. His slide guitar kicks in mid-song. He proclaims he is a “Junkyard Dog” and is howlin’ after that “pretty kitty cat”, who he asks to “purr for me”. On the ragtime tune, “Oh So Good”, he gives testimony that he is reformed “since I got it so bad for you”.
“How Can I Still Love You” is a question from a man done wrong by his woman whom he states, “is always gone…nothing you ever say is true”. “Hard Heart Honey Bee” increases the energy in a jump blues as he says, “she walks into the room like she owns the room”, but he “lost his heart to the hard-hearted girl”. He shifts into a Cajun two-step on “Ma Belle Cherie” as he has fallen for the one he yearns for. The song features a bass run that sounds like it is played on a jug.
There is a “Moon Over Memphis” “as a whippoorwill calls out your name” as he recalls the “King sings “Are You Lonesome Tonight” in another expression of loss of his love. “Go Jump the Willie” is a wacky “brand new dance number” “that will make you shake your feet”, “Grab your partner, make you shake your behind”. He moves back into another slow lament for another lost love, “Cora Lee”.
In the rhumba “Come Back Little Sheba” he declares, “you took my heart, you took everything”. He moves into a gospel tinged “Give My Poor Heart Ease”, as he begs God’s mercy to ease his pain from the loss of his love and notes they say, “God will never burden you with more than you can bear”. The album closes with the only cover, “House of the Rising Sun”, which is, of course, yet another tale of life gone wrong. He pulls out a very eerie slide guitar to accompany the song.
Blind Lemon Pledge’s vocals may not be to everyone’s liking. His unique voice moves from slightly strained and soft to a plaintive cry. On this album he seems to be mostly focused on songs about lost love, which is certainly a theme of many blues songs. But his songs cross many genres and probably are best expressed as Americana, rather than blues. His lyrics and guitar work are also interesting and sometimes very unique.
