|
avid
Kimbrough Jr. was born on both the 3rd and the 4th of January back in
1965, and from that point he knew there would be trouble. His
early memories of waking up to his mother Magnolia's cooking and his
father Junior's guitar playing would be his natural alarm clock.
He began singing with his father at the local fish fry at the age of
six, but that came to an end when his parents split when he was
12. Soon, David steered into trouble.
Though
he released his debut CD in the early 90s, more than a decade has passed
before the followup, Shellshocked, in 2006. In the past 10 plus
years, Kimbrough has spent time trying to navigate through the
oppressive system of government and law in the deep south.
Yet
today, Kimbrough is emerging as the leading candidate to carry on his
namesake's musical legacy. His unique style fuses a more soulful
element and vocal style with Junior's trademark North Mississippi guitar
grooves - repetitive and trance inducing and not too far removed from
the rhythms the earliest African Americans brought from Africa and
passed from generation to generation, the primary source of joy in the
cruel lives they endured.
Unlike
his legendary father, David's music draws from a deep well of influences
that includes the contemporary R&B that was accessible via the media
from which Junior was isolated in rural Mississippi.
The
title trac andn songs like "I Don't Do The Things I Used To
Do" address David's evolution from being a hard partying juke joint
entrepreneur to becoming a righteous southern gentleman. Much of
"Shellshocked" was written within the bleak walls of the
infamous Parchman Farm State Penitentiary , a place that is considered
one of the oldest and historically racist institutions left in the old
south. "Hey Pretty Girl" was actually recorded A Capella
in David's cell while still serving time. The background sounds of
the prison serve as an eerie set of backing tracks that remind one of
the oppression David's forefathers endured.
Backing
tracks on "Shellshocked" are masterfully played by artists
including Kinny Kimbrough, Garry Burnside, and Jimbo Mathus. The
album was recorded at Delta Studios in Clarksdale, MS.
|