Artist:     Russ Green

Album:     City Soul

Label:     Cleopatra

Release Date:     6.8.2018

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Russ Green sounds like anything but a recording rookie on this debut effort. The harmonicist/vocalist from Chicago penned all ten originals, backed by select group of the city’s best session players. Green was born in Chicago and grew up on the West Side, home of many blues legends, yet, throughout his life Green listened to all kinds of genres and didn’t really start playing until he was an adult. So, yes, he comes to this music with plenty of maturity.

Absolutely impressed by harmonica wizard Sugar Blue one night at Blues Etc. in Chicago, Green carries this indelible image of the table placard in his mind : “Sugar Blue the Charlie Parker of the harmonica and the Jimi Hendrix of the blues harp.” After watching Sugar Blue for three months, Green was still too intimidated to talk to him and moved to Seattle, a city he had spent some time in while in the Army.

Upon his return to Chicago, Green was mentored by Sugar Blue and by another legend, Billy Branch. Green also pursued his lifelong dream for his day job, film production. He’s worked in film and television now for years with many feature films to his credit. His musical career, while not at the same pace, is growing and will surely accelerate based on this fine outing. Green has already played, recorded, and toured with two of the best traditionalists: John Primer and Lurrie Bell. He’s featured on the acclaimed album Chicago Blues Harmonica Project and appeared at numerous blues festivals.

The opener, “First Thing Smokin’,” is pure blues boogie, evoking Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Green slows down a bit for a Bill Withers approach on “Believe In Love” and puts all those lessons with Sugar Blue to work on his psychedelic harmonica excursion on “The Edge.” In fact, it’s rather easy to detect the influence of Sugar Blue and Branch in Green’s style throughout the album.

The great Eric Bibb duets with Green on the Delta-styled “Going Down South.” The organ-driven “Lover Man” has Green trading licks with Joe Munroe’s B3 grooves. Green displays his familiarity with the inner city problems in “Train of Pain,” featuring one of the city’s best guitarists, Giles Corey, on “Up From the Bottom.” Green, along with bassist Marvin Little, brings the funk to “Lint In My Pocket.” He steps into some blues-rock for “Something New” and shows that he can handle R&B in the closer “Love to Give.”

Green has not only made an auspicious debut album, he’s already a formidable triple-threat who writes, sings, and blows his harp as well as many of Chicago’s storied musicians.

—Jim Hynes