One Believer

Description

First album by John Campbell, the late bluesman, on Elektra, One Believer stood out clearly from the trends of major record labels and the pop of the era. Apart from Living with the Law by Chris Whitley, it was the only roots blues album released on a major label in 1991. A deeply atmospheric record, rich in subtle organ swells and warm guitar textures, which place more emphasis on the dreamlike and mysterious dimension of the blues than on the percussive, energetic rhythm that characterized Campbell on stage and that is found on his following album, Howlin' Mercy. Tracks like "Angel of Sorrow", "World of Trouble" and "Wild Streak" offer shimmering atmospheres from which the blues seems to emerge like a mist. Campbell lived and worked in New York, and his music was undoubtedly influenced by this nocturnal atmosphere. These are magnificent songs, imbued with restraint and a certain intensity, which know how to be biting at the right moment. On "Couldn't Do Nothin'", "Devil In My Closet" and "Person to Person", the magic of roadside bars is at work. The last two tracks on the album, "Take Me Down" and the title track, are menacing in their conviction and strangely dark in execution.