Lil' Jimmy Reed with Ben Levin Back To Baton Rouge (CD)

(Nola Blue Records) 10 tracks, digisleeve.

When two-time Blues Music Award nominee and budding music historian Ben Levin, 23, first contacted Lil' Jimmy Reed (Leon Atkins, 84), the two blues musicians, who lived at very different times in their lives and careers, discovered that their musical synergy was effortless. It quickly became clear to Levin that producing the album of this esteemed icon, who embodies the down-home blues style of Louisiana, would make an important contribution to the history of the blues. Lil' Jimmy Reed's powerful harmonica playing, strident guitar and commanding vocals are showcased in a mix of covers and original songs written by Ben Levin, his father Aron Levin and Lil' Jimmy.