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THOMAS FRASER
Long Gone Lonesome Blues
Nel Music Da Da 1
Now here's something really interesting. Thomas Fraser lived and died on Burra Isle, Shetland. His untimely death at the age of fifty in 1978 cut short an astonishing guitar and vocal talent all the more fascinating for being nurtured in relative isolation. Influenced by Jimmie Rodgers and the blues artists he heard on the radio and gramophone, Fraser developed into a unique country/folk/blues performer, fêted by his local community but unknown elsewhere. Over the years Fraser spent many a Sunday with his guitar and Grundig tape recorder (the island's only such machine on the newly-installed electricity grid), recording his own versions of the music he was so passionate about. Now his grandson has spent three years rescuing the original reel-to-reels from certain deterioration, transferring 25 hours of unique songs and bringing a selection of them to this CD.
From the opening chords of Brakeman's Blues you know this is something special - an authentic take from the original country and blues artists, informed by the inherent musicality of a Shetlander who also played fiddle, mandolin and banjo. His voice is strong and fresh and he yodels with the best, having learned the skill from his uncle Walter at an early age. All twenty five tracks ring with passion and brilliance and it's lovely to think of this quiet Shetland man melding the story-songs of America with his own musical upbringing to create something unique. The full story's brought to life in the CD booklet, making the package a really satisfying project.
Mel McClellan - February 2003
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Folk & Acoustic
