Neil Spencer 

Mama Said by Errol Linton – review

He busks on the Tube to finance his records, but there's nothing amateurish about the south London bluesman's third album, writes Neil Spencer
  
  


Brixton harmonica wizard Linton paid for his third album in the usual way; by busking on the underground. There's nothing amateur about his playing, however, which runs from Chicago blues like Muddy Waters' "You're Gonna Miss Me" to more lyrical pieces like "Roll On Tomorrow", a glance back at his south London childhood. While his acoustic/electric mix doesn't stray far from blues, there's a reggae lilt to several pieces, notably "J.Y.'s", an instrumental where harp and melodica shimmer atmospherically in dub. Linton's soft-spoken vocals carry sweetness and dejection rather than anger, though "Stressed Out" is an exception, a shout from 21st century capital life.

 

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