DIRTY LINEN October 1998

Book him. The old Bookeroo sings the blues, and he sings 'em real well. But there's a twist. While he covers such seminal artists as Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Rev. Gary Davis and even Billy Joe Shaver, Book Binder has included seven originals, the largest set of his own tunes ever to grace one of his discs. Joined by harmonica, stand-up bass and percussion, Book Binder blazes his way through 16 tracks that take the listener back to the first half of this century. The songs are rich in conveying that old-timey feeling that shaped and defined country blues. And his naturally sparse deliveries correctly capture the irony, the pain and the humor such music was meant to depict. What's more, Book Binder has done the music a service: By recording this disc, he's opened the door for a new generation of listeners to listen to those forgotten greats whose early blues styles were, in some cases, first available on 78s.

- E.S. (Dirty Linen)