Muddy Waters Sings Big Bill / Folk Singer

This combines two '60s releases on which Muddy reaches back to his roots. Big Bill Broonzy, a fellow Mississippian, aided Muddy's career during the latter's early days in Chicago.

In 1958, a year after Broonzy's passing, Muddy recorded a tribute (released in 1960), where he tackles a batch of Broonzy's songs. Instead of trying to fit himself into Broonzy's style, Muddy makes the tunes his own. The presence of venerable Waters sidemen like James Cotton and Otis Spann makes the translation an easy one.

In 1963, Muddy entered the studio for an all-acoustic set that harks back to his days as a young Robert Johnson-influenced Delta bluesman. Chess dubbed the album Folk Singer in an attempt to cash in on the current folk revival, but it's pure, unadulterated blues.

In this spare setting - Buddy Guy on guitar, bass, and drums added on a few tunes - Muddy is free to explore the rich lower end of his vocal range, with results that are by turns sensual and ominous. The open arrangements make it possible for Muddy to exercise an extraordinary amount of subtlety in both his singing and guitar playing, and the results are quietly mind-blowing, making for one of Waters' finest albums.

2 original '60s Chess LP's reissued on 1 CD. 'Sings Big Bill' is a tribute to Big Bill Broonzy and 'Folk Singer' is an all-acoustic session with Buddy Guy on guitar and Willie Dixon on bass. Remastered.