Chewing Pine

James Blood Ulmer – Bad Blood in the City (Hyena Records, 2007)

Updating the blues is a task many take on. Ulmer continues encompassing many disciplines, but lands short of even some lesser Buddy Guy efforts. Bad Blood finds the guitarist and Vernon Reid, amongst others, moving past 2005’s Birthright and into a socially concerted effort. This album focuses on Katrina and what occurs in her wake. A number of covers, including “Grinnin’ In Your Face”, exemplify the bent of this recording, while incorporating fiddle and mandolin to give the disc a blues and country sound that’s absent from other Ulmer recordings. In a thorough listen, the album is vaguely rewarding based upon the players’ ability and endearing song selection. But the content gains meaning for those listeners willing to examine the material through multiple cultural and contextual lenses. Instead of doing all that though, just go get Tales of Captain Black and this album won’t matter.