SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS - IF YOU'RE GOING TO THE CITY: A TRIBUTE TO MOSE ALLISON

Various Artists
If You’re Going To The City: A Tribute To Mose Allison
Fat Possum Records

Mississippi-born Mose Allison passed away November 15, 2016. If You’re Going To The City: A Tribute To Mose Allison is a posthumous nod to the man and to his cool, jazz-inflected blues and blues-inflected jazz.

Taj Mahal introduces this set, setting just the right tone with “Your Mind Is On Vacation”. Others who contribute to the vocals encompass a wide range of musical styles: Robbie Fulks , Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Chrissie Hynde tackles “Stop This World”. The sly humour of “Ever Since The World Ended” suits Loudon Wainwright completely. Richard Thompson adds to the list of British covers with a lovely live performance of “Parchman Farm”, and Iggy Pop comes on like Elvis Presley on the title track, with its idiosyncratic and thoroughly modern backing. Peter Case manages to sound like both Mose and himself vocally on “I Don’t Worry About A Thing”; he keeps it very cool. Frank Black contributes an alt-bluesy “Numbers On Paper”.

Then there is Jackson Browne, The Tippo Allstars with a fine vocal by Fiona Apple, Bonnie Raitt, Dave and Phil Alvin, the aptly named Anything Mose!, and Amy Alison duets with Elvis Costello to close out the set.

The CD and LP packaging includes a DVD containing the 2005 BBC documentary on Mose, Ever Since I Stole The Blues. It is a fine bonus, but the set stands up extremely well on its own merits. If you have any interest in any of the artists mentioned in this review – including Mose himself of course – then you’ll certainly enjoy this release.

Artist Links

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CITY: A TRIBUTE TO MOSE ALLISON

Author

Norman Darwen

Here's what we think...

Spill Rating

Fan Rating

Rate Here

New Criteria

—

7.0

Total Spill Rating

—

Total Fan Rating

You have rated this

album review album reviews fat possum records if you're going to the city: a tribute to mose allison iggy pop mose allison

album review, album reviews, fat possum records, if you're going to the city: a tribute to mose allison, iggy pop, mose allison

About the Author

Norman Darwen

Norman Darwen grew up in north-west England admiring Elvis’ gold lamé jacket, Lord Kitchener’s way with words, and his much older brother’s and sister’s dancing to The Rolling Stones’ ‘Little Red Rooster’ on the telly. He’d wind aforementioned brother up by reading the entire contents of an R’n’B magazine he used to have to collect from his local shop for him and then reciting back as much as he could remember. Some years later he’d wind up his own friends by telling them who these people were that Led Zeppelin etc were covering – Willie Dixon, Howling Wolf, Otis Rush etc. These days he still listens to the blues, but has added a taste for reggae, zouk, rap, folk and anything else that takes his fancy…

album review album reviews fat possum records

7.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ERIC CANNATA – HOLDING ONTO THE HOLY

by Joseph Mastel on January 24, 2025

ERIC CANNATA HOLDING ONTO THE HOLY INDEPENDENT Eric Cannata is known for being the songwriter, guitarist, and producer for indie rock band Young The Giant, who had several hit songs in the 2010s, most notably “Cough Syrup”, “My Body”, and “Mind [...]

9.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MOGWAI – THE BAD FIRE

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on January 24, 2025

MOGWAI THE BAD FIRE TEMPORARY RESIDENCE LTD After 30 years on the music scene, you can’t really call Scottish giants Mogwai really productive, as they have come up with only 11 albums, including this new one titled The Bad Fire. And while [...]

8.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LARKIN POE – BLOOM

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on January 24, 2025

LARKIN POE BLOOM TRICKI-WOO RECORDS There was always a dilemma for the Lovell sisters – how to stay in touch with their love of blues roots and move forward with their music, without leaving blues out at any point. Or was there any dilemma [...]

9.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PRISM SHORES – OUT FROM UNDERNEATH

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on January 17, 2025

PRISM SHORES OUT FROM UNDERNEATH MERITORIO RECORDS If you would want to characterize the state of interesting indie pop/rock at the start of 2025, you probably wouldn’t have to go further than Montreal’s Prism Shores and their new [...]

8.0

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BLUE LAKE – WEFT

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on January 17, 2025

BLUE LAKE WEFT TOTAL UNION With modern instrumental music that relies on more subtle, gentler sounds there was always a line (a very thin one at that) between being excellent and aural wallpaper. Even the most careful and knowledgeable artists [...]

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CITY: A TRIBUTE TO MOSE ALLISON