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Virtuoso slide
guitarist & roots music innovator, Michael Messer, has seen his profile
sharply in the ascent since the highly acclaimed King Guitar al bum was
released in March 2001. One prominent American reviewer described him as “an
unavoidable force in modern blues” and commented that “King Guitar
has met a new century with style, grace, and a new, colourful direction for
the music”. In May 2001 King Guitar reached number one in
the American "Living Blues" chart and was the most played blues
album on US college radio, which for a British artist is exceptional. Since the
UK release of Second Mind, Michael's reputation and popularity have grown
even more and he is now known as one of the leading slide guitarists and nu-blues
innovators in the world. Second Mind has been described by one reviewer
as "The best British blues album of the century so far," and by
another as "a work of near genius." Second Mind won the
International Guitar Federation 'Blues Guitar Album of the Year 2003' (other
nominees for the award included Chris Rea, Eric
Bibb & Sonny Landreth).
Being English
with an international reputation for blues slide guitar is a rarity in itself,
but Messer’s obsessive appetite for knowledge of the art is
virtuallyunequalled. By harnessing elements of American blues, from pre-war
Mississippi Delta styles to post-war Chicago sounds, and blending them with contemporary
influences and street sounds, with slide guitar as the common link, Michael
Messer creates music which is highly individual, original and universally
accessible.
Voted ‘Acoustic
Blues Artist of the Year’ at the British blues awards, Michael has an
outstanding reputation amongst musicians and generally people regarded to be
‘in the know’. As well as being an accolade to his world class acoustic
blues playing, the British blues award was also an endorsement for his capacity
to incorporate styles other than blues into his music. Ideas borrowed from
Hawaiian steel guitar, reggae, rock, hip-hop and King Sunny Ade’s world-beat
sound all illuminate his playing. The latter style was particularly evident on
the breakthrough album that won him his initial strong notices, Slidedance,
released in 1990. The same description could equally apply to his 1993
collaboration with Terry Clarke and Lubbock, Texas guitarist, Jesse Taylor,
entitled Rhythm Oil. The tour that accompanied its release saw Messer
experiment further with musical elements including house and reggae, with a
version of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s ‘Worried Life’ offering
"an outstanding distillation of blues and contemporary music"....
(Virgin Encyclopaedia of the Blues). Indeed Michael shares the rare honour with Bob
Dylan and Kris Kristofferson, of having had
no less than the legendary Johnny Cash write the sleeve notes for this
critically acclaimed album, Rhythm Oil.
"Word pictures playing through my mind as I listen to the
refreshing, earthy, panting sound of Rhythm Oil. What I hear here is the real
thing. Bare-bones blues gut-bucket rural rock. This record carried Me away to a
long time ago, down a delta dirt road to a land of my musical good-old-daysing."
"PS…Don't squeeze the trigger, if you can't stand the
recoil."
Johnny Cash
‘Second Mind,’
follows the widespread success of 2001’s ‘King Guitar’ album that
established Messer as one of the most respected and innovative slide guitarists
around. This highly anticipated album was recorded with a band stocked with
world-class musicians, including the great Ruby Turner on backing vocals. On ‘Second
Mind’, Michael delivered a set of recordings that stretch across the
musical landscape. Deeply rooted in and inflected with the blues, the
album incorporates a rich and diverse texture of different styles that appeal to
an array of musical tastes. ‘Michael Messer is one of the most important
bluesmen in Britain and mightily relevant throughout the blues world. He has
progressed from being an excellent technician - on the National Steel
especially, to being in the vanguard of the 21st century blues. And that doesn't
mean he has forsaken traditional values either. A beautiful amalgam of history
and foresight; musicality and grit; blues, boogie and beats - Second Mind is a
work of near genius’. Joe Cushley – Blues Matters
‘Second
Mind’ has cemented Michael Messer’s reputation as being one of the most
musically dynamic and talented recording artists working today. Recent 2004
shows at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, the Barbican Centre & the 100 Club,
along with an appearance the prestigious WOMAD festival have been very
successful & have garnered rave reviews.
Michael
Messer’s significance as a blues artist is further confirmed by his inclusion
in "The Virgin Encyclopaedia of the Blues.” Messer’s name
appears alongside many of the blues ‘greats’ who influenced his playing. In
the April 2003 issue of the American magazine, “Spirit,” Michael
Messer has been listed alongside Duane Allman, Bob Brozman & Ry Cooder as
one of the world's best slide guitar players ever. Newtone Strings® in
conjunction with National Reso-phonic® Guitars have a Michael Messer brand
specifically made for the National steel guitar, which reflects the esteem in
which he is held. These are the brand leaders in their field and used by most
National steel players around the world.
photographs
by William White© 2001
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