Stacy Mitchhart: What I Feel

Nashville-based guitarist-singer-songwriter Stacy Mitchhart delivers soul ballads, blues and funk in convincing fashion on What I Feel (Dr. Sam Records 004; 72:49). Backed by an old-school Memphis-style horn band, Mitchhart sings with raspy authority on covers of Muddy Waters’ “King Bee,” Mack Rice’s “Cadillac Assembly Line,” J Blackfoot’s “Taxi” and a Delta-flavored rendition of George Jackson’s “Down Home Blues,” in which he accompanies himself only on resonator guitar. Mitchhart’s songwriting talents come across best on the R&B ballad “Caught Up in the Middle,” the sly funk of “I Might Be Your Husband (But I’m My Other Woman’s Man)” and “I Wanna Ummm With You,” a kind of randy remake of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Wanna Make Love to You.” Mitchhart’s passionate guitar style is best showcased on the B.B. King-inspired instrumental “Keep Blues’n” and the confessional “Brand New, Same Old Blues.” This Cincinnati native is a dynamic triple threat on the contemporary blues scene.

Originally Published May 1, 2001