Tomcat Courtney - Downsville Blues

Tomcat Courtney
Downsville Blues
Blue Witch Records
Run Time: 48:55

For the retro review of the month, we're spinning heavy retro sounds out of San Diego. Tomcat Courtney is likely one of the best urbanized Texas bluesmen you've never heard. The guy is steeped in deep downhome tradition and this disc is replete with sounds of Howlin' Wolf, Mance Lipscomb, Jimmy Reed, early Muddy Waters and old school Delta meets electricity. Not many play this way anymore, and Courtney's unabashed style is solid to the core.
With a backing band on a handful of tracks and two guitars on the rest, this album was recorded like the early Fifties postwar blues of years gone by. Courtney's jagged voice growls from the mic and undoubtly is as informed of the perils and woes of life that bleed through his playing as the subjects of which he sings. "Railroad Avenue" is as about as nasty as realism gets in this post-modern era of criticism and recording. "Disaster Blues" calls forth the shaking city's inhabitants of the Ninth Ward on this Hurricane Katrina tribute. Courtney, however, shuts off the realism for some Delta-meets-vaudeville slapstick on the old classic "Bottle Up and Go." The band has seemingly at little bit more of a peppier push along as well, as BMA-nominated duo Chris James (second guitar) and Patrick Rynn (bass) keep Courtney in a steady chooglin' mood through this one.
It's fitting that James appears on this first national debut from Courtney, as Courtney gave the younger statesmen one of his professional upstarts as a teen. James, like other classic sidemen in the veins of Eddie Kirkland, Eddie Taylor, and Jimmy Rogers seems about as zeroed in as it gets, filling in with riffs on the dual guitar songs when necessary and always laying the sturdy ground work for Courtney to raise his flashes of guitar prowess when need be.
For contemporary fans, this one might be a little "samey" and slow and prodding at times. Like a cool San Diego breeze (where Courtney now makes his base), this one moves in and out of the back porch calm come and go as it pleases. Some of the melodies do conjure thoughts of Jimmy Reed, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, and others but its Courtney's seasoned vocals and his original lyrics that will keep you coming back for more. There's nothing false about Courtney's approach and style. If he had been picked up 10-15 years ago by major blues labels, he would probably be hailed more in the limelight as a West Coast treasure. Luckily, Bob Corritore and Blue Witch helped get this treasure recorded for our wonderful listening benefit because Courtney ain't nothing but the real, real blues.