The fifth album from Stevie DuPree delivers ten powerful portrayals of life and love along the Blues Highway.

10 MP3 Songs in this album (35:38) !
Related styles: Blues: Delta Style, Folk: Folk Blues, Type: Acoustic

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Like a spring breeze that refreshes everything in its path, Stevie DuPree and the Delta Flyers bring their soulful blues derived from its primal sources in New Orleans, Chicago and especially Mississippi. They avoid flash and bombast in favor of the elusive essence of the music that can only come from the deepest commitment. As consummate pros, however, they sacrifice neither intensity nor excitement in the process, instead delivering a uniquely moving experience instrumentally and on Sixteen Bars.

Lead vocalist and âMississippi saxophoneâ player Stevie DuPree was born in Houston, Texas in 1946. Seeing the Paul Butterfield Band at the Fillmore West and discovering Muddy Waters in the early sixties had a profound effect on him, setting him off on a long, productive career interrupted by a 20-year hiatus to help raise his children. He has recorded five acclaimed albums since returning in 2003.

Sixteen Bars contains10 original compositions, seven of which were co-written with extraordinary guitarist Travis Stephenson. They encompass an impressive range of rural blues and country styles supported by Jack Saunders (doghouse bass, guitar, percussion, backing vocals), Rick Richards (drums), Rich DelGrosso (mandolin) and Sister Tommie Lee Bradley (backing vocals). â61 Highway Bluesâ starts the backyard party off right with a raspy Elmore James-type electric slide guitar shuffle powered by Stephenson and driven by DuPreeâs expressive tenor exhorting, âThat 61 Highway sure can be a mean old road.â The jaunty country two-beat of âSixteen Barsâ is not about gin mills or the length of a blues progression, but the kind of bars in a jail door. Not letting up on the knee-slapping good time energy, âMentone, Alabamaâ features tight harmony vocals worthy of bluegrass music as the resophonic guitars churn and DuPree narrates an inviting road trip.

The boogie shuffling âBabyâs So Fineâ injects an element of humor often found lacking in contemporary blues as DuPree sings, âGot me a great big bulldog, yâallâ and his band responds, âBow wow, bow wow.â A tasty harmonicist in the Sonny Boy Williamson II mold, DuPree also contributes two reed-tickling solos. âSunflower River Ragâ is a stunning, foot tapping duet between DuPree singing and blowing harp, and Stephenson carrying the weight of the song with his perfectly-picked acoustic resophonic guitar (and stomping âporchboardâ). The country gospel backing harmonies take the listener to church with, âWhoa, the riverâs going to wash me down.â

âPoison Took My Babyâ is a cautionary tale about substance abuse and a change of pace musically as well with its somber minor key progression. âDockery Farmâ pays tribute to the famous Delta plantation steeped in blues lore while sporting a hypnotic, twangy hill country groove that will not quit. The hard charging Chicago blues shuffle âFishinâ Little Mamaâ introduces a metaphor not often heard in the blues as DuPree sings in one of the dynamic stop-time verses, â Well she ketch a mess âo flounder, Lord, and I cleans em up, my baby lets me drink from her lovinâ cup.â âBaby Janeâ is a chugging two-beat hoe down with stop-time featuring DuPreeâs harp âquackingâ over the locomotive drumming of Richards. Closing out the secular prayer meeting is the laid back, loose-limbed country honk of âI Got to Testifyâ with a rowdy group known as the âFabulous Inebriatorsâ joining DuPree on the raucous choruses.

Stevie DuPree is a veritable musical force of nature with five more albums either recorded or studio ready. If past performance is any indication of future results, fans of soul shaking blues will be amply rewarded.

Dave Rubin
2005 KBA winner in journalism