| Have Mercy! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 63:04 | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer |
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| Michael Hill's Blues Mob chronology | ||||
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Have Mercy! is the second album by the American band Michael Hill's Blues Mob, released in 1996. [1] [2] The band supported it with North American and Australian tours. [3] [4]
The album was produced by Hill, Bruce Iglauer, Brian Young, and Kevin Hill. [5] Hill wrote 13 of the album's songs. [6] He was backed by keyboardist E. J. Sharpe, drummer Tony Lewis, and bassist Kevin Hill. [7] Hill was inspired chiefly by the music of Jimi Hendrix. [8] Many of the songs are about the Black experience in America, with Hill's lyrics influenced by the works of James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. [9] "Women Make the World Go 'Round" is a response to the many blues songs about men who think women have done them wrong. [10] "Grandmother's Blues" is about an older woman killed by law enforcement. [11] "Stagolee/Perspective" is an interpretation of the Stagger Lee story. [12] "Rest in Peace" is an instrumental. [13] "She's Gone" is a cover of the Hound Dog Taylor song. [14]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| DownBeat |   [15] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [5] |
| New York Daily News | [16] |
| North County Times | B+ [17] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [14] |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | [18] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues | [19] |
The New York Daily News called Hill "an axe man who grinds through electric blues, hard rock, funk and reggae". [16] Guitar Player said that Hill "takes chances, stretching boundaries with supple, supercharged solos and socially conscious lyrics." [20] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette labeled the album "urban blues with a passionate social conscience framed by [Hill's] hard-edged guitar." [18] The Blade stated that Hill's "guitar solos set the fretboard ablaze in displays of both speed and intensity; his vocals have an appropriately emotional quality as he addresses topical themes"; the paper later included the album on its list of the 25 best albums of 1996. [21] [22] The North County Times praised "the jazz-influenced 'Let's Talk About the Weather'." [17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Presumed Innocent" | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Lost in the Sauce" | 3:41 |
| 3. | "Bluestime in America" | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Women Make the World Go 'Round" | 4:06 |
| 5. | "Grandmother's Blues" | 5:20 |
| 6. | "Africa Is Her Name" | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Let's Talk About the Weather" | 6:06 |
| 8. | "Backyard in Brooklyn" | 3:06 |
| 9. | "Falling Through the Cracks" | 4:33 |
| 10. | "Stagolee/Perspective" | 5:30 |
| 11. | "Sweeter Days" | 4:08 |
| 12. | "Evil Spell" | 4:06 |
| 13. | "Rest in Peace" | 4:58 |
| 14. | "She's Gone" | 4:31 |
| Total length: | 63:04 | |
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