Mark Lemhouse
Album: The Great American Yardsale
Lable: Yellow Dog Records
3 out of 5

Deep in the Mississippi Delta, the birth of blues music came out of the marriage between two musical cultures — black and white — that were flourishing separately and then eventually together. As early as the late 1800s the blues became an extension of slave work songs and field chants that expressed both sorrow and hope. Consequently, the folk traditions of white musicians were incorporated, along with its scale and instruments, resulting in a unique form of music that has become the foundation for mainstream popular music for the entire 20th century.

Mark Lemhouse’s sophomore album, The Great American Yardsale is the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2003 debut, Big Lonesome Radio. Recorded in Memphis and in his home in Salem, Oregon, Yardsale is a collection of electrified blues numbers mixed with acoustic-folk tunes that continues the blues tradition in the 21st century. Lemhouse separates himself from this rest of the roots-Americana musicians by relying on his distinct songwriting and musical innovations that integrates banjo and electric slide, along with his soulful growl that at times resembles a coherent Bob Dylan and a lucid Tom Waits at others. His musicianship is indisputable, as he plays most of the instruments on the album, and his creative arrangements, which follow the blues standards, are enjoyable and pleasing to the ears.

Lemhouse’s originals are aligned with the blues ethos that can turn from dark and distraught to hope and optimism. Although tracks like “Queen of Easy Street” and “You’re a Bastard” set a humorous tone that is not necessarily a blues tradition, it’s an element of the Lemhouse tradition. His lyrics are subtle yet eloquent enough for the masses without stepping into a no-intellect-required arena.

Mark Lemhouse’s The Great American Yardsale is a dirt-road blues album that bounces along at a comforting pace. Where others customarily falter on their second release; Lemhouse steps up his game with a great American blues album.

(Joe Hooten is a Western Carolina alum and a teacher. His favorite pastimes do not include throwing horseshoes or watching NASCAR. He can be reached at thatbeat@hotmail.com.)