T-Model Ford

Since T-Model Ford, at age 88, is one of the last of his generation of Mississippi Delta blues singers, it feels almost sacrilegious to criticize him. He, along with R.L. Burnside and Jr. Kimbrough, helped establish Fat Possum Records and brought blues back to its essence. However, the march of time isn't kind to even the most hearty of blues performers, and The Ladies Man, recorded in one single three-hour session in the summer of 2008, is proof. For starters, Ford opted to play acoustic guitar, a choice that immediately limits his music's impact ― Lightning Hopkins he isn't. Secondly, as Ford clearly gets more lubricated during the session, his capacity to remember words to his already basic repertoire, and to keep a steady rhythm, becomes frustratingly impaired. For hardcore T-Model fanatics, this might be acceptable, but for most blues fans, The Ladies Man won't live up to even minimal performance standards.