Mance Lipscomb - Texas Songster

Mance Lipscomb is another self-proclaimed "songster", as opposed to a blues singer, though he gained popularity in the 60's folk/blues revival, sharing his extensive musical knowledge. As the liner notes to this CD says, Mance played and sand "popular songs, ballads, spirituals, children's songs, jubilees, slow drags, rags, breakdowns and blues." He is not unlike fellow songsters such as Lead Belly and Rev. Gary Davis, who also played a wide variety of tunes.

Lipscomb is not a guitar virtuoso, but is a fine finger-picker and his expressive voice blends well with his backings. This collection spans many of the different genres that he worked in, and shows his unique interpretations of some numbers made famous by others, such as "Spoonful", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Big Boss Man" and "Jack of Diamonds".

This isn't as raw as much of the blues that I like, but as a songster/folk singer, this is truly excellent and passionate. Don't try to pigeon-hole Lipscomb into a tidy, little box, but if you are open-minded and enjoy early Americana and African-American traditional songs, this is a superior selection.