Released posthumously, The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt and the equally revelatory Last Sessions represent a final testament to a once-in-a-lifetime talent the twentieth century very nearly missed altogether. John Hurt worked as a farm laborer for most of his life. He'd play for parties and gatherings of friends and family, but he never thought seriously about a career as a bluesman. Even after impressing a talent scout for Okeh Records and releasing a set of songs for that label in 1928, he was dismissed as "not commercially viable" or whatever the equivalent jackassery was at the time. Then along came the Depression and Hurt forgot about professional music almost as quickly as it forgot about him. Fast forward to the folk revival of the 1950's and 60's. Those who relished the songs immortalized on Harry Smith's legendary Anthology of American Folk Music heard the two cuts attributed to some unknown named "Mississippi John Hurt" and one of them - Tom Hoskins - tracked him down by using geographical clues embedded in the song, "Avalon Blues." What followed was a groundswell of youth-driven popularity, buoyed by college performances, new recordings, and a stint at the Newport Folk Festival. Thank God for small miracles. The music Hurt left behind is unique and wonderful. His self-taught finger-picking style - often imitated, never duplicated - is deceptively simple. If you're not concentrating you might walk away believing there are two guitars in the room. But there aren't. Just a man, two agile hands, and a seemingly effortless technique honed over decades of playing the guitar not as a vocation, but as an avocation. As a musician, he just loves it. And as a listener, you can tell. If there is any criticism to be levied against this album, it might be that the material itself is not worthy of his attention. Yes, there's "Stagolee" and "Since I've Laid My Burden Down," but most of the others here could be considered "minor" blues and folk tunes, by comparison. The album is bookended by two gospel-themed compositions with a third, "Wise & Foolish Virgins," coming in nearly halfway through. The rest of the songs talk about livestock, dance parties, murderous gamblers, and cheating housewives ("the red rooster says, 'cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo' / the rich women say, 'any dude will do'") - typical fare of the rural blues. Such is the degree of his skill, however, that the results are anything but typical. Hurt takes average songs and transforms them into something transcendent, with the sacred and profane sitting side by side in perfect harmony. You'll notice, when you listen, that many times he'll leave out words and even whole lines here and there, letting his lively, lyrical guitar finish the phrase for him. This may come across as lazy or forgetful until you realize it's neither. It is common for people to talk about a guitar player achieving proficiency when he can make the instrument "talk." Hurt makes his guitar sing. Grade: A+
