Roll Away the Stone (album)

Last updated
Roll Away the Stone
Roll Away The Stone.jpg
Studio album by
Kelly Joe Phelps
ReleasedAugust 26, 1997
Recorded1996
Genre Gospel blues, country blues
Length58:16
Label Rykodisc
Producer "...a mystery..."
Kelly Joe Phelps chronology
Lead Me On
(1994)		Roll Away the Stone
(1997)		 Shine Eyed Mister Zen
(1999)

Roll Away the Stone is an album by American blues singer and guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps, released in 1997. It was his first release on the Rykodisc label and reached #10 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums charts.

Contents

Phelps' notes state "All songs recorded in my used to be a hotel now it's an apartment building apartment, between airplane take-offs and police sirens, deep in the winter of 1996, except "Cypress Grove" and "Go There" which were recorded in an empty house in Northeast Portland. Same Winter. Dave Schiffman engineered "Cypress Grove". Dale Lawrence supplied the house. Mixed at The Digs by Craig Carothers. Mastered by Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital, Southboro, MA. Production remains a mystery..."

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
No Depression (no rating) [2]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Writing for Allmusic, music critic D. Elaine McDonald wrote of the album "Phelps continues to grow as both a musician and songwriter, and his interpretations of classic blues songs show increased imagination. Although it's based in classic blues, this music doesn't sound ancient — it sounds vital and alive, like any great music should." [1] Thom Owen of No Depression magazine wrote "Phelps began his musical career playing jazz, and those roots are evident in his introspective, sandpapery vocals on Roll Away The Stone... The three traditional songs here would be at home on Phelps’ first record. He sticks to a simple and respectful reading of these numbers, relying on their timelessness and his silken voice for effect." [2]

Track listing

All songs written by Kelly Joe Phelps except as noted.

  1. "Roll Away the Stone" – 4:50
  2. "Sail the Jordan" – 6:01
  3. "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" (James Milton Black) – 5:52
  4. "Hosanna" – 8:46
  5. "Without the Light" – 4:44
  6. "Footprints" (Traditional) – 4:35
  7. "Go There" – 4:17
  8. "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" (Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lewis) – 6:50
  9. "Cypress Grove" (Skip James) – 6:42
  10. "That's Alright" (Traditional)– 3:25
  11. "Doxology" (Traditional)– 2:14

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 Owens, Thom. "Roll Away the Stone > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  2. 1 2 McDonald, D. Elaine. "Roll Away the Stone > Review". No Depression. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  3. ↑ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings . Penguin. p. 519. ISBN   978-0-140-51384-4.
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