Hellbound Train - Delta Moon

Delta Moon – Hellbound Train

Ironically my first listen to this CD was on a train – thankfully not hellbound like the one in the song!  I had never heard of this band,but it seems they are well known as a nationally touring blues-rock band. In 2008, The American Roots Music Association named lead singer Tom Gray as Blues Songwriter of the Year; his songs having been recorded by such artists as Cyndi Lauper, Manfred Mann and Carlene Carter. This is a great, often fun, collection of songs, enhanced by great musicians on lap steel and slide guitar, creating a real Delta Blues sound. They sing of trains, love and being Stuck in Carolina – I can think of worse places.  An unusual choice is a cover of You Gotta Move, by Mississippi legend Fred McDowell, but it works.  Standout track, however, has to be Plantation Song, which evokes the Deep South that I love, the Delta, the cotton fields, as the story unfolds. This song alone is worth the price of the CD, showing the side to this band that I like the best.