Albright Brings Pre-War Folk & Blues Songs to Life, Plots Tour
“Fantastic… great, the sound really jumps off of that record.”
–KEXP
“Raucous… The character and emotional vibe of the performance are delicious… few are as successful at conveying the energy and driving feel as Todd Albright… Albright plays it fingerstyle with powerful authority, generating a huge sound with coarse timbres. He toys with the beat, much as his forebears did, and his raw singing adds emotional authority, as well.”
–Acoustic Guitar Magazine
“He’s the real deal… He is just channeling country blues and delta blues like you have never heard before.”
–Fretboard Journal
“Stellar, deeply felt musicianship… an artist worth watching.”
–Living Blues Magazine
“Explosion of acoustic wonder. Albright plays with heart, daring, and conviction.”
–American Blues Scene
Ace fingerstyle guitarist Todd Albright has shared the first single from his new album Blues For Dexter Linwood, produced by Charlie Parr (Smithsonian Folkways) which also serves to kick off the new Detroit label Misfortune Records (its name a play on the legendary Detroit label Fortune Records). The album includes his interpretations from Blind Willie McTell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lead Belly, and Mississippi John Hurt, among others, coming out April 17. Tom Herbers (Iggy Pop, The Cactus Blossoms, Low, Andrew Bird) recorded the album in mono on a single microphone.
The album’s first single, the driving “Step It Up and Go” came out today, featuring Albright’s low-tuned, rowdy 12-string guitar, Parr on slide guitar, and Dave Hundrieser on harmonica. Albright’s fingers bounce on the fretboard and his cigar-stained vocals inhabit the material fully. It is available only via Bandcamp. HEAR/SHARE: https://toddalbright.bandcamp.com/track/step-it-up-and-go
Of Albright, Parr says, “He struck me as a very purposeful individual, someone who had a definite destination in mind, which fascinated me because I have never had anything like that. Todd’s guitar playing also fascinated me — purposeful, specific, every note made of blood, every note meant just exactly for that particular spot, each moment of silence designed to be just there and nowhere else.”
After initial sessions didn’t convey the energy they were seeking, Parr had an epiphany. “I realized that the man needed to be recorded in mono,” he says, continuing, “The more I think about it, the more it occurs to me that Todd Albright kind of exists in mono anyway, and that recording him any other way runs counter to his very nature.”
“I didn’t produce anything, it was already there when I sat down and listened while Todd laid his fingers on the strings and released the blues from the air around us,” Parr concludes.
Blues For Dexter Linwood is Albright’s fourth album, including one on Third Man Records, where he was signed by Jack White. He has played the tenth anniversary of Third Man Records, headlined by the Raconteurs; played at AmericanaFest; toured with Cedric Burnside, The Wood Brothers, Dick Dale; and performed at Merlefest (four times), Juke Joint Festival, SXSW (Third Man Records showcase), The Luck Reunion, and Mile of Music Fest.
Albright was first introduced to finger style blues when he heard John Lee Hooker and Dave Van Ronk for the first time, the latter via his local public library. At 16, he went to see Van Ronk and ‘Spider’ John Koerner in concert and was hooked. He later moved to Detroit, renting a room for $100 a month in a house owned by a member of the Gories.
Todd Albright Tour Dates
March 12 – Stockbridge, MA – Lion’s Den
March 13 – Peterborough, NH – Harlow’s Pub & Restaurant
March 14 – New Bedford, MA – First Unitarian Church
March 15 – South Kingstown, RI – Java Madness
April 17 – Hyattsville, MD – Archie Edwards Blues Foundation
April 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Acoustic Music Works
April 21 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
April 24 – Charlottesville, VA – The Front Porch
May 16 – Bethlehem, PA – Godfrey Daniels
May 17 – Beacon, NY – Guitar Workshop
May 22 – Northampton, MA – The Parlor Room
June 26-27 – La Pointe, WI – Tom’s Burned Down Cafe
June 29 – Rochester, MN – Mayo Clinic – Charlton Building
July 14 – Appleton, WI – Stone Arch Brewpub
Blues For Dexter Linwood Track List
SIDE A
1 Drive Away Blues (Willie Samiel McTier)
2 Real Kind Mama (Willie Samiel McTier)
3 Stockin’ Feet Blues (Lemon Henry Jefferson)
4 Death of Ella Speed (Huddie Ledbetter)
5 Skin Game Blues (J.B. Howell)
SIDE B
6 Step It Up And Go (Fulton Allen)
7 Shuckin’ Sugar Blues (Lemon Henry Jefferson)
8 If That Woman’s Love was Whiskey (Paul Geremia)
9 Frankie (John Hurt)
10 Meet Me In The Bottom (Pinkney Anderson)
11 The Fort Worth & Dallas Blues (Huddie Ledbetter/Lemon Henry Jefferson)
Dave Hundrieser, Harmonica 1, 4, 5, 10
Charlie Parr, Second Guitar 6, 10, 11
