Cedar County Cobras – Homesick Blues
Self-produced CD
10 songs – 33 minutes
Traditional acoustic blues usually takes a backseat to electric in America these days, and most practitioners of the art toil in relative obscurity before earning the right to play before larger audiences. That’s the case of the Cedar County Cobras, an Iowa-based duo who played small clubs and festivals for a decade before releasing this pleasing debut full-length CD.
Delivering foot-stomping blues and boogie that have a direct link to the first generation of the music, the Iowa City-based Cobras are composed of Tom Spielbauer, a legally blind, prolific tunesmith who drives the beat forward on guitar and percussion, and April Dirks, who handles both upright bass and mandolin. They produce a sound that’s contemporary but rooted in the work of other visually impaired artists, including producing Blind Willie McTell and Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson along with sighted heroes Elmore James and R.L. Burnside.
A concrete and construction worker who was diagnosed with macular degeneration in childhood, Tom’s spent years as a rocker before shifting to the blues. He took home the winner’s trophy in the solo competition at the 2022 Central Iowa Blues Challenge, following that up with an appearance at the International Blues Challenge, where he reached the semi-finals. Formerly a professional bluegrass artist, April discovered she had a talent for the upright bass as she and Spielbauer gravitated more and more toward the music they play today.
Recorded and mixed by Jon Locker at Sonic Factory Studios in Des Moines, the album opens with “Utah,” a propulsive, uptempo original with Tom in the vocal lead, describing a lady who fears she’ll be stopped and “taken in” if she does and notes: “But don’t ask her what happened, she won’t tell you what she did.” It gives way to “Country Records,” a duet that features Amy’s mandolin and delivers an upbeat sound that plays counterpoint to lyrics that describe a failed relationship.
“Long Time Gone” follows a sprightly, but similar format. This time, Spielbauer announces his departure and intent to attempt to forget his troublesome woman’s name as fast as he can which Dirks mirrors his words in call-and-response. “Gimmie Lightnin’,” which is up next, asks for corn liquor early in the morning because of a late night drinking and partying the night away while enjoying T-Model Ford and Cedell Davis at a club called Gabe’s and realizing the hangover will destroy any plans the singer had for the day.
Three covers — Gus Cannon’s “Poor Boy,” Muddy Waters’ “Trouble No More” and Son House’s “Walkin’ Blues” – all get a sweet contemporary acoustic makeover before the original, “Voodoo Doll,” delivers a view of another troubled romance, this time finding the singer so pained and weak that he feels like someone’s sticking pins into a doll bearing his image. Jessie Mae Hemphill’s “Shake It Right” is full of dirge-like Hill Country rhythms before the original “Homesick Blues” – which describes being unwanted by the local men while being totally ignored by the women – finds the singer ready to find a new home.
If, like me, you bemoan the fact that quality acoustic music emanates more from overseas than it does these days in the good, ol’ U.S.A., you’ll rejoice in this one. The beats are infectious. And while the subject matter of most of the songs describe troubles, you’ll still be left with a smile.
