JOHN AND SYLVIA EMBRY Troubles
Delmark
This was their first L.P. as the promo says; when they got together to do this album something happened …. there is a little magic here you can’t find anywhere else. How very true this Chicago sound blends the vocals from Sylvia that are gospel, blues tinged along with her talent on the bass guitar and the all-blue searing guitar work from John. Delmark once again has released a long lost treasure re-named as Troubles, much of the material was originally on Razor Records as After Work. Troubles and the Embry’s deserve lots of airplay on the myriad of Blues radio stations around today. This is blues that is heavy with soul with funky bass and a guitar sound that reflects the sound of the greats. The album is a mix of originals and covers including Mustang Sally, Freddie King’s I Love The Woman and Jimmy Reed’s Going To New York they have all been re-vamped so they have a raw energy and would probably have been included in live sets as they played around the clubs in the 1970’s & 1980’s. No wonder in the day they had the titles of Queen Sylvia Embry & Johnny ‘Guitar’ Embry they are still entertaining us with their guitar driven no frills blues. There may be no stand out track but the harmonies between Sylvia and Johnny of I Found Love/Rainbow captures the essence of the charisma between them and when released was the antidote to all that Disco music of the 1980’s. This is just over an hour and seventeen tracks that will transport you back, thrill and delight you with their very special delivery of the blues that will entrance, please and make sure your troubles are shared and soothed away.
LIZ AIKEN
