Grady Champion: Two Days Short of a Week

The dynamic young showman Grady Champion combines rough, raspy vocals, raucous Delta-styled harmonica playing and just the right touch of swagger on 2 Days Short of a Week, his real deal follow up to 1999’s impressive debut, Payin’ for My Sins. A prolific songwriter with his finger firmly on the pulse of everyday life, Champion sings of triumph and pain (“Nothing I Can Do”), romance (“Honeybee”), brotherly love (“Brother, Brother”) and fickle fate (“Lady Luck”). And, like his last one, Grady also mixes in a couple of hard-hitting socio-political messages on the album like “Children of the Corn,” which focuses on the epidemic of children killing children, and “Policeman Blues,” which is a firsthand account of his own experience with racial profiling. On a lighter note, he reveals a playful side on the rollicking down-home party number “Wine and Women.”

Originally Published July 1, 2001