Tinsley Ellis – Naked Truth (Alligator) (Album Review)

Naked Truth is the 21st album for the 66-year-old Atlanta bluesman Tinsley Ellis, whose recording career dates back to 1982 and now notches a quite remarkable 23 albums.

This is not the kind of music I’d normally go for: I like blues, but not enough to actively explore it or collect it. I once reviewed an album by RL Burnside, and I like Jimi Hendrix – but blues has never enthused and fascinated me in the way its cousins jazz, soul and funk have.

So with that in mind, I have few – if any – reference points for Tinsley Ellis, who has cranked out an album roughly every two years. Credit where it’s due, the man is prolific and clearly works hard.

Naked Truth is Tinsley’s first fully acoustic album and as someone totally unfamiliar with his work, it’s actually a great place to start.

Despite its simplicity – basically Tinsley and what sounds like an assortment of guitars – this album offers enough diversity and tempo and song structure to make it genuinely interesting. Death Letter Blues, as an example, is an old Son House blues classic and it’s a grunty foot-stomper in which Tinsley growls, plucks and strums with energy and verve. It’s one of three cover versions on the record, the other two being Willie Dixon’s Don’t Go No Further and Leo Kottke’s The Sailor’s Grave on the Prairie.

Elsewhere, Tinsley veers more toward country and folk, on cuts like Silver Mountain and Easter Song (an instrumental) – soft, reflective and thoughtful tunes through which his musicianship really shines. Horseshoes and Hand Grenades is another standout on the album, giving the vibe of a bloke on a crusty moonshine run desperate to make a few extra dollars.

Grown Ass Man is another uptempo stomper, in which Tinsley’s voice is to the fore on a tail of a man whose love seems too much for a woman. It’s a story well told as he explains the disintegration of the relationship and the impact that has on both parties.

Alcovy Breakdown is the other standout instrumental on the album, with Tinsley in full flow and really demonstrating his musicianship.

Although unlikely to rush out and start stocking up on Tinsley’s back catalogue, Naked Truth is a genuinely impressive and well-crafted album which should appeal to fans of the many sub-genres of Americana music – yep, he’s that good.

If he came to NZ to perform, I’d check him out. Well worth exploring.

Jeff Neems

Naked Truth is released on Alligator Records Friday, February 9th.