Catfish Keith — Shake Me Up (2024) @@@+

[concert_goer]

The twenty-third¹ album in Catfish's discography. Does the world really need so many of his records? Over the past twenty years or so that I've followed this remarkable bluesman from Iowa, that question has crossed my mind more than once. And each time, the answer became clear after just one listen to his latest release of the moment. Yes, it does.

Catfish remains devoted to old country blues, gospel, and ragtime, drawing inspiration from an inexhaustible well of tradition. But he doesn't simply resurrect these old songs — many of which have long been forgotten — he breathes new life into them, making them shine with fresh colors, reinventing them through his signature string-twanging style.

His latest album features fourteen acoustic tracks, including a couple of his own compositions. As always, Keith's guitar work is a delight, delivering a distinctive, vibrant, and percussive sound. It's a pleasure to hear his fresh takes on timeless classics like Candyman, Nobody's Fault but Mine, and Diddy Wah Diddy, alongside more obscure gems such as Long Gone from Kentucky by Little Hat Jones and the bawdy Who Pumped the Wind in My Doughnut by Washboard Sam. The decision to incorporate two-part harmony on the gospel tune Go, I Will Send Thee is particularly effective.

I really like this album. Great job, Keith.

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¹Or perhaps it's even his twenty-fourth, if you count Tadpole Blues (Early Recordings 1982–1984). And two of those albums are compilations of previously released material.