Artist:     Grady Champion

Album:     Steppin’ In

Label:     Malaco

Release Date:     4.26.2019

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Before digging into the latest release by Mississippi soul-blues master Grady Champion, a little history lesson is in order. In the early 1980s, the blues was considered a relic of a bygone era. This was especially the case in the African-American community, where funk, R&B and early hip-hop were the styles of choice. When Arzel “ZZ” Hill released the 1982 hit album Down Home Blues on the staid Malaco label, it breathed new life into a flagging genre. On Steppin’ In, Champion pays tribute to the artist who gave the blues a much needed shot in the arm.

When the late ZZ Hill sang “Take off those fast records/ and play me some down home blues,” the lyric became a rallying cry for listeners who wanted to hear something more authentic than the popular music of the day. Champion’s leather lunged growl makes “Down Home Blues” just as relevant for today’s audience. Bassist Fredrick Demby Sr. and drummer Edward Rayshad Smith lay down a solid backbeat, and Sam Brady’s keyboards add juke joint atmosphere. As a vocalist, Champion knows no restraint. His gleeful rasp is perfectly suited to the double entendre laden lyrics of “Shade Tree Mechanic,” and he plays some tasty harp licks between verses. His no-holds-barred delivery does justice to Denise LaSalle’s warhorse “Someone Else is Steppin’ In,” and the Jackson Horns fatten up the arrangement. While Steppin’ In is light on solos, Jackson Mississippi native Eddie Cotton lends his sweet-toned guitar to “Bump and Grind” and “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing.”

Just like ZZ Hill, Champion doesn’t rely on sophisticated arrangements or instrumental prowess to move his audience. In the great Malaco tradition, he uses mood and atmosphere to make listeners feel like they’re in a chitlin’ circuit club on a Saturday night. Like moonshine in a mason jar, this album is meant to be enjoyed.

—Jon Kleinman