Soul Blues is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in 1963 and released on the Bluesville label.[1][2][3]

Soul Blues
Studio album by
Released1965
RecordedMay 4 & 5, 1964
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
GenreBlues
Length40:56
LabelPrestige
ProducerOzzie Cadena
Lightnin' Hopkins chronology
Down Home Blues
(1964)
Soul Blues
(1965)
Lightning Hopkins with His Brothers Joel and John Henry / with Barbara Dane
(1966)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings    [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [6]

The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings wrote: "Soul Blues has a few distinctive pieces like 'I'm Going to Build Me a Heaven of My Own' – not out of atheistic contrariness but in order to give 'lovin' women a happy home'. 'I'm a Crawling Black Snake' which has little in common with Blind Lemon Jefferson's song, is framed by oddly impressionistic guitar".[5] AllMusic reviewer Roundup Newsletter stated: "A true poet of the blues, Lightnin' Hopkins was a master of tall, tongue-in-cheek tales, often made up on the spot in the recording studio".[4]

Track listing edit

All compositions by Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins except where noted

  1. "I'm Going to Build Me a Heaven of My Own" – 5:56
  2. "My Babe" (Willie Dixon) – 3:20
  3. "Too Many Drivers" – 3:30
  4. "I'm a Crawling Black Snake" – 4:50
  5. "Rocky Mountain Blues" – 3:50
  6. "I Mean Goodbye" – 3:00
  7. "The Howling Wolf" – 3:50
  8. "Black Ghost Blues" – 3:30
  9. "Darling, Do You Remember Me?" – 3:40
  10. "Lonesome Graveyard" – 5:30

Personnel edit

Performance edit

Production edit

References edit

  1. ^ Jazzdisco: Prestige Records Catalog: 7300 series accessed November 8, 2018
  2. ^ Both Sides Now: Discography Preview for the Prestige label accessed November 8, 2018
  3. ^ Wirz' American Music: Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins discography accessed November 8, 2018
  4. ^ a b Newsletter, Roundup. Lightnin' Hopkins: Soul Blues – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. London: Penguin. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  6. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 328.