One-Dime Blues is an album by the American musician Etta Baker, released in 1991.[1][2] Baker was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship the same year.[3] She supported the album by making a few live appearances.[4] One-Dime Blues was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award for best country blues album.[5]
| One-Dime Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1988–1990 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Rounder | |||
| Producer | Wayne Martin, Lesley Williams | |||
| Etta Baker chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by Wayne Martin and Lesley Williams.[6] It was funded by the North Carolina Arts Council, which produced a documentary about Baker and One-Dime Blues.[7] The recording sessions took place over 21 months, between 1988 and 1990.[7] "But on the Other Hand Baby" is a cover of the Ray Charles song.[8] Baker played clawhammer banjo on "Marching Jaybird".[9] She sang on "Broken Hearted Blues", an original song.[10]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [6] |
| The News & Observer | [9] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [12] |
Spin wrote: "Extremely well polished, honest, and sensitive, her unique guitar sound is technically and spiritually magnificent."[13] The News & Observer called the album "a powerful yet sensitive collection of mostly instrumental folk blues and parlor songs."[9] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch deemed it "extremely folksy" blues.[14] The Pittsburgh Press admired the "surprisingly strong vocal" on "Broken Hearted Blues".[10]
The Asbury Park Press concluded that Baker's "impeccable fingering techniques ... prove there's more to the blues than a slashing slide guitar."[15] The Washington Post determined that Baker's "sparse arrangements, leisurely tempos and light touch allow each melody note to shine, even as the harmony notes keep the music flowing ever forward."[16]
AllMusic praised "the arresting vocals, prickly accompaniment, and commanding presence."[11] Acoustic Guitar noted that "Baker's guitar work is characteristically deliberate, clear and lightly swinging whether she's addressing a blues, ragtime, or folk motif."[17]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Never Let Your Deal Go Down" | |
| 2. | "One-Dime Blues" | |
| 3. | "Knoxville Rag" | |
| 4. | "Broken-Hearted Blues" | |
| 5. | "Lost John" | |
| 6. | "Dew Drop" | |
| 7. | "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" | |
| 8. | "Near the Cross I Watch and Pray" | |
| 9. | "Spanish Fandango" | |
| 10. | "Round My Back Door Selling Coal" | |
| 11. | "But on the Other Hand Baby" | |
| 12. | "Crow Jane" | |
| 13. | "John Henry" | |
| 14. | "Alabama Wagonwheel" | |
| 15. | "Bully of the Town" | |
| 16. | "Going to the Racetrack" | |
| 17. | "Police Dog Blues" | |
| 18. | "Marching Jaybird" | |
| 19. | "Railroad Bill" | |
| 20. | "Carolina Breakdown" |
References
edit- ^ "Etta Baker Biography by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Wheeler, Brad (27 Nov 2004). "Women get the blues, too". The Globe and Mail. p. R11.
- ^ Olson, Ted (2010). Blue Ridge Folklife. University Press of Mississippi. p. 92.
- ^ Romans, Chris (1 Jul 1992). "Etta Baker, blues artist and a folk performer, to appear at the fest". The Daily Dispatch and Argus. p. B12.
- ^ Menconi, David (4 Sep 1992). "Blue Notes". The News & Observer. p. 68.
- ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 13.
- ^ a b Menconi, David (23 Jun 1991). "She picks up a guitar, and nothing gets in the way". The News & Observer. p. 3J.
- ^ "Etta Baker concert planned". The News Herald. Morganton. 10 Nov 1991. p. 3A.
- ^ a b c Bernhardt, Jack (29 Dec 1991). "At 78, Etta Baker is powerful, sensitive". The News & Observer. p. 2H.
- ^ a b White, Jim (9 Feb 1992). "Blues". The Pittsburgh Press. p. F5.
- ^ a b "One-Dime Blues Review by Ron Wynn". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 19.
- ^ Eldridge, Bruce (Jan 1992). "Heavy Rotation". Spin. Vol. 7, no. 10. p. 18.
- ^ Harris, Paul A. (6 Dec 1991). "Blues". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4D.
- ^ Santelli, Robert (1 Mar 1992). "Tasty finger-picking music, East Coast style". Asbury Park Press. p. E6.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (10 Apr 1992). "Appalachian Spring of Baker's Guitar". The Washington Post. p. WW19.
- ^ James, Steve (Sep 2012). "Never Let Your Deal Go Down". Acoustic Guitar. Vol. 23, no. 3. p. 43.