Home Read Classic Album Review: Cephas & Wiggins | Somebody Told The Truth

Classic Album Review: Cephas & Wiggins | Somebody Told The Truth

The blues duo mine the same rootsy vein of blues as singer-songwriter Taj Mahal.

This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):

 


If you cloned Taj Mahal — or at least cut him in two — you’d have Cephas and Wiggins.

They play the same sort of breezy, country-lane folk-blues. They rely on the same blend of plucky acoustic guitars (that would be John Cephas), sweet ’n’ sour harmonia (courtesy of Phil Wiggins) and rich, deep vocals (Cephas again). They even mine the same vein of blues, combining traditional fare (Railroad Bill), classics by Skip James (Sick Bed Blues) and Robert Johnson (Last Fair Deal Gone Down) and easy-on-the-ears originals. The only difference: Instead of an Indian monument to love, their name reminds you of an old Vaudeville duo.

 

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