Archive Review: Willie King & the Liberators’ Freedom Creek (2000)

He calls it “struggling blues” and Willie King is one of only a handful of blues artists alive today delving into such meaty subjects as racism, poverty, and social injustice. As such, Freedom Creek is a revelation and an inspiration. Not since Bob Marley’s early political songs have I heard such a lyrical vision of a community in trouble (Jamaica in Marley’s case, the rural south for King). Songs like “Pickens County Payback,” “Twenty Long Years” or “The Sell-Out” are hardcore declarations of faith – strongly held belief in the spirit of man and woman to overcome. As might be gathered from his music, King is social activist, as well, the founder of the Rural Members Association. An organization that preaches self-reliance by teaching African-Americans in rural Mississippi and Alabama  

Musically influenced by Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker, King’s sound is nonetheless unique. Using a second vocalist to enhance and echo his vocals and employing a guitar style that is equal parts Albert King and Willie King. Polished to a sharp edge by playing juke joints and house parties for a quarter century, King’s music is both hypnotic and uplifting. His vocals are drenched in the Delta and schooled by the church, delivered like a preacher at the pulpit with a physical and spiritual force that today’s most passionate rappers and rockers could never equal.

Freedom Creek was recorded live on two-track analog in a Mississippi roadhouse, providing an authentic gospel fervor to the material. When King states “I’m the reverend tonight” you know that he’s telling the truth, every song a sermon, every performance touched by the divine. King’s long-time backing band is as tight as a drum, providing a free-flowing undercurrent to King’s coarse vocals and steady guitar riffs. No less potent than the works of Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, or Muddy Waters, King’s Freedom Creek is a significant collection of contemporary blues that are steeped in tradition even while looking towards the future. (Rooster Blues Music, released October 4th, 2000)  

(Thanks, and a tip of the hat to local Nashville musician Colin Wade Monk for suggesting Freedom Creek to this critic.)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ music zine...