Following on from 2020’s ‘Blue Sky’, The Reverend Shawn Amos is back with ‘The Cause of It All’; an album of stripped down blues classics featuring only himself and Chris “Doctor” Roberts on guitar. The Covid crisis of 2020 meant that instead of touring the well-received ‘Blue Sky’, Amos like many artists found himself in lockdown. Making the most of the situation, he used that time to revisit his inspirations in the studio resulting in a fitting tribute to the great and the good of the blues.
Opening with Willie Dixon’s ‘Spoonful’, the tone is set as sparse and authentic. Amos’ vocals and harmonic intertwine with Roberts’ fuzzy guitar work, emulating the style and work of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.
Amos’ voice and Roberts’ guitar sing and play in harmony on Muddy Waters’ ‘Still A Fool’, making it one of the stand out tracks in the collection. Embracing the simplicity of the blues on John Lee Hooker’s ‘Serves Me Right To Suffer’, Amos shines as his vocal delivery takes in remorse, desire, righteousness, and vengeance all in the space of a single chord song that’s beautifully held together by Roberts’ mesmerising guitar work.
The second half of the album finds Amos and Roberts switch tempo to acoustic guitar with some exciting and unexpected results.
Re-energised in the 1960s by Van Morrison and Them, ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ finds its roots back in the days of the slave trade before being made famous in the 1930s by Big Joe Williams. The stripped back acoustic version here has much more in common with the original delta blues sound made famous by Williams and features some fine call and answer playing between Amos’ harmonica and Roberts’ guitar.
The sparse acoustic versions of two Muddy Waters’ songs, ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ and the lesser-known ‘Little Anna Mae’ showcase the power and majesty of the original lyrics underpinned by marriage of subtle guitar, strong lyrics, and Amos’ harmonica skills.
More than just an album of covers, ‘The Cause Of It All’ is a labour of love that pays tribute to the greats by a contemporary musician who has all the talent and the charisma of those who came before.