Maple Blues Magazine, 2004

Jesse Mae Hemphill - Dare You to do it Again by John Valenteyn

A couple of months ago, reviewing a CD of 1980's discoveries, I mentioned she hadn't performed much since a severe stroke in 1993. It seems she has gradually recovered enough to sing but not to play her guitar. This was her livelihood and these were very lean years indeed. A number of friends have gathered round and have organized the JMH Foundation to help her and other North Mississippi performers make ends meet. This Foundation's first effort is a hi-tech package featuring Jesse Mae. This is a 2CD set from a nine-hour show at Sherman Cooper's farm outside Como, MS last year. A DVD will be available soon as well. The first CD, songs for pookie, is enhanced and includes the DVD trailer, pictures and the "Porch Logic Remix" by DJ Logic. The second, songs for Bebe, may be a better place to start listening as she gets carried away at times on the first (maybe it was the last set!) She's backed by a stellar band of (usually) guitar, violin, bass & drums on most of the songs and on the rest by Sharde Turner and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band. The package is an embarrassment of riches, with Jimbo Mathus, Ruthie Foster, Kenny Brown, Cedric Burnside, Gary Burnside, Chris Chew, Kinney Kimbrough and many more providing sympathetic support, encouragement and the occasional guest vocal. The violin player goes by the name Tramp and he also contributes mandolin. He should be better known. There is plenty of audience interaction and Jesse Mae Hemphill is in fine form throughout, especially on the raucous duet with Robert Belfour on "God is Good To Me". Find out more at www.jmhemphill.org.