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]
Production
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]
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]
Track listing
Have Mercy! track listing
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
References
^Haymes, Greg (October 10, 1996). "In a Blues Mood". Times Union. Albany. p. P4.
^Flanagan, Bill (December 1996). "Have Mercy!". GQ. Vol. 66, no. 12. p. 72.
^Johnson, Kevin C. (October 24, 1996). "Electric blues at Pal Joey's". Akron Beacon Journal. p. F2.
^Cerabona, Ron (April 14, 1998). "Honouring the Blues with a Fresh Twist". The Canberra Times. p. 14.
^ abMusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 164.
^"Michael Hill's Blues Mob helps launch Waterloo fest". The Express-Times. July 13, 2001. p. E4.
^Bruening, John C. (April 10, 1997). "Fans Sings the Blues About Short Show". The Plain Dealer. p. 11B.
^Miller, Jay (February 12, 1998). "Bluesman Michael Hill got his start listening to Hendrix". The Patriot Ledger. p. 27.
^Moton, Tony (November 1, 1996). "These Blues Have a Bite". Omaha World-Herald. p. 45.
^Howell, Dave (April 5, 1997). "Hill's Mob Plays a Different Caliber Blues". The Morning Call. p. A52.
^Lustig, Jay (December 20, 1996). "Blues singer follows his muse". Ticket. The Star-Ledger. p. 24.
^Knopper, Steve (October 13, 1996). "New Blues Releases". The Home News & Tribune. New Brunswick. Knight Ridder. p. D11.
^Hall, Jeff (October 25, 1996). "Blues Mob still hot on follow-up album". Courier-Post. Camden. p. 5E.
^ abThe Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 256.
^Ouellette, Dan (March 1997). "Have Mercy!". DownBeat. Vol. 64, no. 3. p. 57.
^ abCharles, Nick (October 22, 1996). "Record Reviews". Daily News. New York. p. 54.
^ abTrageser, Jim (November 6, 1996). "Blues". Preview. North County Times. p. 22.
^ abWhite, Jim (November 17, 1996). "Playing the blues is back in business". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. G4.
^Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin Books.
^Obrecht, Jas (November 1996). "Deep in the blues". Guitar Player. Vol. 30, no. 11. p. 105.
^Paton, Richard (November 3, 1996). "Michael Hill Becomes a Major Blues Force". Arts & Entertainment. The Blade. p. 5.
