Down to Earth (Willie Cobbs album)

Down to Earth
Studio album by
Willie Cobbs
Released1994
StudioRooster Blues, Clarksdale, Mississippi
GenreBlues, soul
LabelRooster Blues
ProducerWillie Cobbs, Jim O'Neal, Patty Johnson
Willie Cobbs chronology
Down to Earth
(1994) 		Pay or Do 11 Months and 29 Days
(1998)

Down to Earth is the debut album by the American musician Willie Cobbs, released 1994.[1][2] It is dedicated to his daughter, LaTasha.[3] The album was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award for "Traditional Blues Album".[4]

Production

Produced by Cobbs, Jim O'Neal, and Patty Johnson, the album was recorded at the Rooster Blues studio, in Clarksdale, Mississippi.[3] Cobbs worked on the songs for more than 10 years, composing them when he felt he had something to say rather than in scheduled writing sessions or under deadline.[3] He thought that the lyrics told a story about the past three decades of his life.[3] "You Don't Love Me" is a rerecorded version of Cobbs's most famous song, to which he added new lyrics.[5][6] He was backed by members of O. V. Wright's old band, including L.C. Luckett and Johnny Rawls, who together cowrote four of the songs.[7][8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Chicago Tribune[10]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[11]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[8]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette[12]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide[6]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues[13]

The Chicago Tribune said that "Cobbs faithfully reprises his best-known composition, its familiar loping bass line and Cobbs's high-pitched vocal still packing a wallop."[10] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that "Cobbs's vocals are gritty and soulful, even when he moves into the upper registers".[12]

The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings labeled Down to Earth "an uneasy blend of downhome blues and retro soul."[8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Eatin' Dry Onions" 
2."Goin' to Mississippi" 
3."Butler Boy Blues" 
4."She's Not the Same (Feeling Good)" 
5."Amnesia" 
6."My Baby Walked Away" 
7."If You Don't Know What Love Is" 
8."You Don't Love Me/Hey Little Girl" 
9."Good Lovin'" 
10."New Slow Down Baby" 
11."Carnation Milk" 
12."Stackhouse Rock" 
13."Wanna Make Love to You" 

References

  1. ^ Komara, Edward, ed. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Vol. 1. Routledge. p. 216.
  2. ^ Herzhaft, Gerard (1997). Encyclopedia of the Blues (2nd ed.). The University of Arkansas Press. p. 114.
  3. ^ a b c d St. Romain, Kadee (July 31, 1994). "Bluesman pours life into first album". The Greenwood Commonwealth. pp. 1, 10.
  4. ^ Nager, Larry (March 4, 1995). "Handys big on Grammy loser". The Commercial Appeal. p. C2.
  5. ^ Bravo, Russ (December 3, 1994). "CD Eye". Alive!. Derby Evening Telegraph. p. 7.
  6. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. 1999. pp. 157–158.
  7. ^ Whipple, Phil (March 31, 2006). "Johnny Rawls will unleash his 'soul blues' in Auburn". Sun Journal. Lewiston. p. A6.
  8. ^ a b c The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 126.
  9. ^ "Down to Earth Review by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Dahl, Bill (September 29, 1994). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  11. ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 85.
  12. ^ a b White, Jim (October 21, 1994). "Blues". Arts & Entertainment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin Books. p. 82.
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