Magic Sam - Give Me Time (1991)

These intimate home tapes from Magic Sam were documented a year before his untimely passing in 1969. Sam -- born Samuel Maghett in the Delta of Mississippi -- became one of the unquestionable originals and seminal contributors to the Chicago Westside blues scene in the late 1950s and 1960s. As this collection aptly demonstrates, he is at the top of his game during the informal get together. Epitomizing the D.I.Y. ethos, Sam is heard unadorned, backing himself up on electric guitar. Upon occasion, children playing and a washing machine churning bleed on to the tape, further adding to the homey personable nature. In a stripped down setting, the purity of Sam's soulful fretwork, coupled with the lack of a rhythm section, seemingly amplifies his clean and ultimately melodic execution. The evidence lies in the sublime and fluid runs that commence the pre-eminent reading of "You Belong to Me," easily besting the spirit of the excellent Black Magic (1968) version. "What Have I Done Wrong" is another superior side that would surface on the same album. Sam's incisive picking is bathed in his trademark string-bending wails, alternately stinging and shimmering beneath the stark vocals. While far from an audiophile document, the sound is thoroughly enjoyable, vacillating from good to excellent. In this case, the performance quality far outweighs any and all technical or aesthetic limitations. "That's All I Need" is given a workout that spotlights its' infectious syncopation, with Sam ably pulling off the tricky timing. The cover of Willie Dixon's "I Can't Quit You Baby" is one of the most impassioned on the anthology as Sam shouts the verses like a testifying preacher. Other indispensable inclusions are the dark "Baby, You Torture My Soul," a heart-wrenching "That's Why I'm Crying" and, augmented by Eddie Boyd on vocals, "Come Into My Arms." The dearth of Magic Sam's legacy has made each and every entry essential and Give Me Time (1991) is a testament to both his prowess as a musician as well as the crucial offerings that he made to modern blues.