Tinsley Ellis (from the album The Naked Truth

Tinsley Ellis (from the album The Naked Truth

Tinsley Ellis (from the album The Naked Truth available on Alligator Records) (by Bryant Liggett)
The latest from Tinsley Ellis sounds like it could be 60 years old. It is, however, not a throwback to an earlier era. This is everything Blues music should be, and was in its earlier incarnations. Stripped down, raw, and rough around the edges, and forever timeless. The Naked Truth is a perfect title for this record; no studio tricks and no added gimmicks, nothing stuffed in various pockets or sly underpinnings, nothing is fixed in the mix. It is an honest offering of musical reality.
Album opener, “Devil in the Room”, is driven by hand-made percussion while “Death Letter Blues” and “Tallahassee Blues” are both dirty, raw, and sublime in their acoustic simplicity. This is also a showcase of Ellis’ ability solely as a guitar player, as the record has instrumental cuts that play out like a theatrical score. “Silver Mountain” and “Alcovy Breakdown” sound as if Ellis is ready to break every string through picking and strumming, while “The Sailors Grave on the Prairie” and “Easter Song” are mellow and ambient.
Then there’s the infectious and wonderful “Grown Ass Man” that’s a juke joint or front porch boogie cut; with more hand percussion via snaps, Tinsley Ellis is showing he’s capable of rolling out a lot with oh-so little. (by Bryant Liggett)
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