I received this CD a bit late for a timely review, but I sure am glad I got it. Michael Powers, the owner of Yellow Dog Records, has a vision for a friend. That friend is Mark Lemhouse. These guys used to play together, and I like that for starters. Powers has that whole intense thing about him; he's locked in about wanting to help.

I met Mark Lemhouse for dinner, before he played at Brackin's, in Maryville, Tennessee for a Thursday gig. I was anxious to meet Mark ever since I hear the CD, Big Lonesome Radio. I let it lie around a couple of days and then I played it every day and night for a week. Something really caught my ear and I'm listening to a LOT of Blues. I think it was the innocence and realness of this music from a guy that I later found out was pretty young, but not inexperienced.

A single guy playing the guitar is a lonely thing. You got to have cajones to even do this job, and BIG ones too. You know this scene- if you are lucky enough to be there. It's about somebody playing the guitar pretty intensely. They may or may not know this music, but Mark Lemhouse knows it. He grew up in Memphis and he's no stranger to the North Hill country Blues music. I had a talk with him over dinner and before the gig.

He grew up listening to the regular '60s & '70s bands, especially Led Zepplin, and figured out that there were songs by someone named Robert Johnson and others. It was time to check out those guys. After being stabbed in the heart and brain by the masters, he started listening to the real thing. He picked the right stuff, because this CD is a winner.

You can just tell that Mark spent a lot of time getting this right; there is the sound of many, many nights playing this music. A real love for the music and a deep understanding of the genre and all the little tricks and maneuvers leads to something so authentic sounding and gritty that I know listeners will be astounded that we're dealing with a fairly young cat here. This stuff is blasting; tender and tornado-like in its ability to take you out, just like the masters of the Blues from the Delta. From the first strains of Tampa Red's "You Can't Get That Stuff No More," to the velocity and strength of Mississippi Fred McDowell's "What's The Matter With Papa's Angel Child," this CD will joyously give up to the listener a glimpse of the real thing. More than a glimpse-it's a Blues encyclopedia of hard to find material, even if they are mostly covers.

"Baby Sister Blues" by Johnny Shines, "Tappin' That Thing" by Yank Rachell, "Pony Blues" by Charlie Patton and even the Rockabilly Charlie Feathers' "One Hand Loose" appear here. This CD turns out to be a real gem in a spate of Blues albums that seem to have no particular theme or direction. Lemhouse is working on a new one due out by next April that should tell us more. I trust his direction because he's great at it with limited time in the business, but a lot of hard work. That's pretty evident on this CD. This is well worth having in your collection. Try and see him if you can, he's a very intense lone performer. That's something not oft copied in the Blues.