Oli Mac presents Mississippi MacDonald Acoustic - Slim Pickin'
Following back to back Acoustic Artist of the Year UK Blues Awards, it’s musically fitting that Mississippi MacDonald (aka Oliver MacDonald, or Oli Mac, to use his now more frequently used radio show moniker) has, with Slim Pickin’, offered up his second acoustic album in as many years.
While 2024's Call Me Mississippi was a lo-fi offering that acted as the "album of the show" (his acoustic duo gigs with Phil Dearing) Slim Pickin’ is a bigger sounding album that features not just Dearing (production, second guitar, keys, percussion) but Nashville session bassist Brent Cundall.
Oli Mac’s recent time in Memphis (and associated mentoring by organist & songwriter Rev Charles Hodges and Royal Studios owner, producer & songwriter Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell) can also be heard loud and acoustically clear on Slim Pickin’, especially on his own compositions.
Opener 'Trouble Doing The Right Thing' (by Mississippi musician Zack Logan) sets the acoustic scene.
Here the song eschews the fuller bodied, horns backed version of Mississippi MacDonald’s 2023 album Heavy State Loving Blues for a subtler, piano and bass accompanied arrangement.
It retains the bluesy-ness of the Heavy State version, but the lighter approach allows for Oli Mac's blues drawl vocal to make a bigger impact.
The self-penned title track (the harmonica blowin' original can be found on 2017's Soul Fixers album) has a touch of New Orleans about it in its body swaying rhythm and piano accompaniment, while Oli Mac bemoans the give and give of a strained relationship ("Oh, slim pickins, ain’t that the truth!").
Two more originals, the soulfully delivered 'My Bad Attitude' and downtempo ballad 'I’m Sorry' also make their acoustic mark, with the latter featuring a nice, suitably apologetic solo on the outro (the fact both songs also have a touch of Al Green about them is no bad thing).
The oft-covered Blind Willie McTell standard 'Statesboro Blues' is worthy of inclusion due to the finger picking country-folk arrangement, which suits Oli Mac’s vocal down to the earthy, Statesboro ground that gave birth to the song.
The slightly woozy 'Got to Get to Walkin’,' with Oli Mac & Phil Dearing in perfect acoustic picking and melodic jangle harmony, is a bluesified highlight; St. Louis Jimmy Oden’s piano & vocal trad blues 'Goin’ Down Slow' then gets a well worked, swampier makeover.
The gospel meets slow boogie of 'Strange Things Happening Every Day,' the African American spiritual made famous by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is another highlight (as is the case anytime Oli Mac performs it live).
Equally impressive is melancholic piano and acoustic blues number 'Sad Songs.'
Not only does it point to a broader songwriting development from Oli Mac, it features his most convincing 'love lost' vocal to date ("Pour myself a second glass of wine, cos sad songs will kill you, every time").
The album closes out on a faithful to the finger picking original cover of Keb’ Mo’s glass half full blues, 'You Can Love Yourself.'
It might say Slim Pickin’ on the outside, but for the acoustic/ trad blues aficionado there’s rich reward to be found within.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
While 2024's Call Me Mississippi was a lo-fi offering that acted as the "album of the show" (his acoustic duo gigs with Phil Dearing) Slim Pickin’ is a bigger sounding album that features not just Dearing (production, second guitar, keys, percussion) but Nashville session bassist Brent Cundall.
Oli Mac’s recent time in Memphis (and associated mentoring by organist & songwriter Rev Charles Hodges and Royal Studios owner, producer & songwriter Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell) can also be heard loud and acoustically clear on Slim Pickin’, especially on his own compositions.
Opener 'Trouble Doing The Right Thing' (by Mississippi musician Zack Logan) sets the acoustic scene.
Here the song eschews the fuller bodied, horns backed version of Mississippi MacDonald’s 2023 album Heavy State Loving Blues for a subtler, piano and bass accompanied arrangement.
It retains the bluesy-ness of the Heavy State version, but the lighter approach allows for Oli Mac's blues drawl vocal to make a bigger impact.
The self-penned title track (the harmonica blowin' original can be found on 2017's Soul Fixers album) has a touch of New Orleans about it in its body swaying rhythm and piano accompaniment, while Oli Mac bemoans the give and give of a strained relationship ("Oh, slim pickins, ain’t that the truth!").
Two more originals, the soulfully delivered 'My Bad Attitude' and downtempo ballad 'I’m Sorry' also make their acoustic mark, with the latter featuring a nice, suitably apologetic solo on the outro (the fact both songs also have a touch of Al Green about them is no bad thing).
The oft-covered Blind Willie McTell standard 'Statesboro Blues' is worthy of inclusion due to the finger picking country-folk arrangement, which suits Oli Mac’s vocal down to the earthy, Statesboro ground that gave birth to the song.
The slightly woozy 'Got to Get to Walkin’,' with Oli Mac & Phil Dearing in perfect acoustic picking and melodic jangle harmony, is a bluesified highlight; St. Louis Jimmy Oden’s piano & vocal trad blues 'Goin’ Down Slow' then gets a well worked, swampier makeover.
The gospel meets slow boogie of 'Strange Things Happening Every Day,' the African American spiritual made famous by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is another highlight (as is the case anytime Oli Mac performs it live).
Equally impressive is melancholic piano and acoustic blues number 'Sad Songs.'
Not only does it point to a broader songwriting development from Oli Mac, it features his most convincing 'love lost' vocal to date ("Pour myself a second glass of wine, cos sad songs will kill you, every time").
The album closes out on a faithful to the finger picking original cover of Keb’ Mo’s glass half full blues, 'You Can Love Yourself.'
It might say Slim Pickin’ on the outside, but for the acoustic/ trad blues aficionado there’s rich reward to be found within.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ