Chris Cotton's solo debut, I Watched the Devil Die, is being marketed to Americana audiences, but the fact of the matter is it should appeal to traditional blues fans, too, because it recalls a pre-war period of music when the line between blues and country music was blurred. Recorded during a two-day, loose, session at at a Clarkesdale, Mississippi, studio owned by Jimbo Mathus (the former Squirrel Nut Zippers frontman also serves as the album's deft producer), I Watched the Devil Die is equal parts Big Bill Broonzy and the Skillet Lickers. Cotton weaves in and out of original songs and cover tunes with the help of Clarksdale musicians (Big Jack Johnson guest stars), and his energetic fretwork and gritty vocals feel like a house party caught on tape. Pass the jug.