New version review: Chris Thomas King
What I assume to be the very latest new version of "St. James Infirmary" appears on the album Rise (official release date: yesterday), by Chris Thomas King. King is probably most famous for his role in the film "O Brother Where Out Thou?" but in Louisiana he's fairly well known for his actual occupation: blues musician. More about his background here. I hadn't heard this, but evidently he lost a home and recording studio Uptown; this new record is a post-Katrina effort.
The best thing about his mostly traditional take on "St. James Infirmary" is his revision of the singer's request to be decked out with a "20-dollar gold piece on watch chain" at his funeral (so they boys will know he died standin' pat). Thomas's character asks, instead, for "an iced-up crown medallion on my neck chain." Thomas has experimented with hip hop, and of course of "iced-up" is basically rap slang for diamond-encrusted -- a nice updating.
Beyond that: I enjoyed Thomas's vocal delivery here, but I'm really not a fan of his guitar playing. And being a little pressed for time, I'm going to leave it at that.
"St. James Infirmary," by Chris Thomas King.
The best thing about his mostly traditional take on "St. James Infirmary" is his revision of the singer's request to be decked out with a "20-dollar gold piece on watch chain" at his funeral (so they boys will know he died standin' pat). Thomas's character asks, instead, for "an iced-up crown medallion on my neck chain." Thomas has experimented with hip hop, and of course of "iced-up" is basically rap slang for diamond-encrusted -- a nice updating.
Beyond that: I enjoyed Thomas's vocal delivery here, but I'm really not a fan of his guitar playing. And being a little pressed for time, I'm going to leave it at that.
"St. James Infirmary," by Chris Thomas King.
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