““Corey Harris has spent most of his decade-plus career studying and exploring various musical traditions, particular folk forms in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa. With his latest album, blu.black, he says he ‘wanted to express [his] love for great black music’. In doing so, he’s created a disc highlighting a range of genres, from straight-up blues to reggae to R&B to tracks that display the influence of all these worlds.”
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PopMatters
““Generally, Corey Harris is regarded as a bluesman. In that the 40-year-old singer/guitarist/songwriter has released a wealth of blues and blues-inflected music in his 14-year recording career, that’s an understandable assumption. But Harris has long spiced his eclectic brand of blues with musical flavors from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, New Orleans and elsewhere. His 1999 release Greens From the Garden ranged across a variety of styles and even dabbled in hip-hop, while 2007’s Zion Crossroads was richly suffused with a reggae vibe. Now comes the Colorado native’s ninth release overall and second for the Telarc label, blu.black, a collection of 13 blues- and reggae-flavored originals complemented by one Burning Spear cover.”
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Jazziz.Com
““Each time I receive a Corey Harris release means a new musical path for me to travel. His worldwide travels and his degree in anthropology translates into new discoveries with each of his offerings. Corey Harris’ new release, blu. black (Telarc), is what I would call World Blues. blu. black has influences from the Mississippi Delta, Africa, the Caribbean, Southern gospel and reggae. This unique blend is very enjoyable and in my mind an extension to his Zion Crossroads (2007). True blues lovers will find his work to be creative and mind-expanding. blu. black is top shelf in all aspects.”
- Planet Weekly (Tuscaloosa, AL)”
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Planet Weekly (Tuscaloosa,AL.)
“Vü-dü Menz by Corey Harris and Henry Butler is an album that both breaks stereotypes of the blues and also gets back to first principles. These two erudite musicians draw on their academic backgrounds and appreciation of traditional country and rural blues to make original music that sounds very much as if it is sixty or seventy years old. They concentrate on acoustic blues while at the same time bringing to bear some new ideas, Harris lyrically and Butler with his astonishing piano technique that brings some of the sophistication of jazz without losing the essential blues feel. And though this album has some serious musicianship and thoughtful lyrics, it always sounds as if they are having a great time, and that makes this an instantly likable and downright fun album.”
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George Graham, George Graham Weekly
“An acoustic harmonica-guitar blues duo who are uniquely able to showcase the synthesis of African and European elements that co-exist in the blues, Phil Wiggins & Corey Harris are among the most dynamic live blues musicians of our time. They represent the next generation of blues musicians, simultaneously steeped in the tradition while bringing a renewed vitality and creativity to the genre. This new partnership is a must-hear! ”
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PineCone Press Release, PineCone Concerts
““Corey Harris’ blu.black follows up on his critically-acclaimed 2007 collection, Zion Crossroads with a sound as unique as the artist himself. Harris uses Mississippi Delta blues as a starting point, adding in layers of Southern gospel, reggae and other Caribbean sounds, and the rhythms of Africa. The result is an invigorating blend of cultures and styles, a blues-based world music, if you will. Harris is also a natural born storyteller, and blu.black features its share of finely-crafted tales. Harris uses his invigorating musical smorgasbord as a soundtrack for his epic lyrical attempt to connect the stories of African-Americans of centuries ago with the Black experience today.”
About.com”
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About.com
““Corey Harris has always been a student of the cultural and eclectic themes found in the blues, and this record expands these studies. It’s a mixture of blues, reggae, contemporary soul and gospel, as they pertain to the African-American culture, both past and present. Done primarily with guitar, bass, drums, and keys, (the keyboard work ably handled by producer Chris Whitley) this set presents each song as a story unto itself, and, when woven together, presents us with a ‘musical map’ of sorts, that tells us where we’ve been, musically speaking, as well as charting a course for the future…Corey Harris embodies the very culture of the blues itself. In blu.black, he shows us how the blues is the root of many varied styles of music, and how they are all indeed related.”
Nashville Blues Society”
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Nashville Blues Society
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“A winning singer with an easy charm, Harris shines here on songs (most of them were co-written with keyboardist and producer Chris ‘Peanut’ Whitley) like ‘King and Queen’ (a duet with Davina Jackson), the straight-out-of-Kingston-sounding ‘Conquering Lion,’ the sunny skanking ‘Run Around Girl,’ and a moving, stark solo version of Burning Spear’s ‘Columbus.’ It all goes down easy, and Harris’ naturally positive tone makes this album yet another treat from this gifted musician.”
All Music”
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All Music
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“On blu-black, Harris, who lives in Virginia these days, continues the reggae vibe he explored on Zion Crossroads in 2007, though there’s some R&B and ‘70s-style soul and even a blues tune mixed in there, too…In 2007, Harris won a $500,000 ‘genius grant’ from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Call him a genius with a deep groove. On blu.black, Harris more than proves he’s worthy of that ‘no strings attached’ bankroll.”
ColoradoBiz”
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Colorado Biz
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“The songs celebrate blackness, freedom and empowerment, and they’re against Babylon and colonialism. Even love is high-minded and dignified. Harris’ performances make it all less pro forma than that description sounds, though. He doesn’t sing the songs as spirituals, but he’s soulful in a way that connotes both passion for life and a higher purpose.”
OffBeat”
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OffBeat Magazine
“A restless explorer of roots music, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter continues to examine African-American art, history and culture in 14 mostly blues and reggae songs. Enlisting producer and keyboardist Chris ‘Peanut’ Whitley, Harris tells a variety of tales in his tunes, from the uplifting ‘So Good to Me,’ about the joys of finding a soulmate, to the darker reality on ‘Pimps and Thieves.’”
USA Today”
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USA Today
“ In 2007, Corey Harris was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship – commonly referred to as a “genius award” – from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The annual grant, which recognizes individuals from a wide range of disciplines who show creativity, originality and commitment to continued innovative work, described Harris as an artist who “forges an adventurous path marked by deliberate eclecticism.” That same year, he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine. ”
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Staff Writer, Concorde Music Group
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Corey Harris Music has a show on 06/19/2013 at 08:00 PM @ Terra Blues in New York, NY... http://t.co/kRU6M5MqCi
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Awesome Track Pleasure to meet you :) 7Heaven ~Indonesia~ Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/7Heaven-Band-Ponorogo/184297121629493 Subscribe my Chanel on...
Great blues
I like ur music, and since this is my first time here, I'm gonna become a fan, and leave u this comment to promise u that I will be back to do it all again, Blessings
Showing some love and good music. Become a fan back please
Great music. Looking forward to seeing you at Merlefest.