‘Timeless’ is a word bandied about far too easily. Perhaps what Chris Cotton plays is modern music. It just sounds to these ears as though a few mics were snuck into a hot, smoky room in some other time and captured on CD.

There’s nothing here that reflects current pop culture. It’s free from the constraints of time.

Every cut on I Watched the Devil Die might just as well have been kidnapped from 1937 or 1954 as far as sound and spirit go. The CD was in fact recorded over a two-day session in April, 2004 down in Clarksdale Mississippi—less than a mile from Wop’s Bar-B-Que Shak.

Cotton has a throaty, down home voice and plays a wicked guitar. The Rhythm section of drummer Lee Williams and bassist Barry Bays play like a small train chugging down the track, adding a skiffle-like feel to several pieces.

‘Morgan City, Mississippi’ oozes honesty—Cotton’s relaxed but confident vocal feeding off an infectious Piedmont pickin’ guitar riff to great effect. The Skip James classic ‘I’m So Glad’ is brought down south, where it belongs. Big Jack Johnson whips out a slide for some mighty work on ‘Black Night.’

Former Squirrel Nut Zipper frontman Jimbo Mathus lent his touch as producer. Mathus had the smarts to keep it simple and let the music shine. The Disc has a nice live feel to it, very relaxed, very comfortable. The performances have a great “of the moment” feel about them. Nothing is over-worked or over-adorned.

Chris Cotton is full of tales of truths and a guitar full of soul. I Watched the Devil Die is a solid album that burns like warm whiskey on a July afternoon. Grab some crawfish pie, potato salad, & a sweet tea and turn this one up.