Superstitious Blues
Studio album by
Country Joe McDonald
Released1991
StudioFantasy Studios, Berkeley, California
GenreFolk rock, folk, folk blues
LabelRykodisc[1]
Country Joe McDonald chronology
Best of Country Joe McDonald: The Vanguard Years (1969–1975)
(1990)		 Superstitious Blues
(1991)		 Carry On
(1995)

Superstitious Blues is an album by the American folk rock musician Country Joe McDonald, released in 1991.[2][3] Although McDonald had played then-recent anti-Gulf War rallies, the album is made up of personal, not political, songs.[4] McDonald considered making Superstitious Blues his final album; it was his first album in 12 years to be distributed by a label other than his own.[5][6]

Production

Jerry Garcia played guitar on the album; Sandy Rothman contributed dobro.[7] "Eunecita" was written in 1971, but remained unrecorded for almost two decades.[4] "Clara Barton" is a tribute to the founder of the American Red Cross; "Blues for Michael" is about Mike Bloomfield.[8][9] McDonald was supposed to sing at the 1991 American Red Cross annual convention, but was uninvited due to his Gulf War protest.[6] McDonald, in contrast to some of his peers, was happy to employ digital recording during the making of the album.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Entertainment WeeklyC[12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[13]
The State[14]

Entertainment Weekly called the album "both uneven and surprising," but acknowledged that the McDonald-Garcia "guitar team-up on the pretty country-folk tune 'Standing at the Crossroads' is a blissful pleasure."[12] The Boston Globe wrote that "in backing McDonald, [Garcia] returns to fluid acoustic musings that evoke the Dead's American Beauty and Workingman's Dead."[15]

The Sun Sentinel determined that "the shift from broader politics to personal themes reflects McDonald's maturation both as an artist and an activist."[7] The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album "poignant, pretty and powerful, yet almost understated ... Its songs range from the moody, moderately psychedelic instrumental 'Tranquility' to 'Standing at the Crossroads', a country waltz."[4] The State concluded that "the beauty of this disc is its simplicity ... McDonald combines those old bay area psychedelic sentiments with deep-rooted blues."[14]

AllMusic deemed it "an excellent comeback album."[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joe McDonald

No.TitleLength
1."Standing at the Crossroads"4:21
2."Eunecita"4:11
3."Superstitious Blues"3:48
4."Tranquility"3:34
5."Starship Ride"3:06
6."Cocaine (Rock)"3:46
7."Blues for Breakfast"3:35
8."Clara Barton"3:34
9."Blues for Michael"6:48

References

  1. ↑ Hadley, Frank-John (December 9, 1993). "The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD". Grove Press – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Country Joe McDonald Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ "Country Joe still gives a damn". East Bay Times. February 17, 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 Rense, Rip (17 Feb 1991). "COUNTRY JOE IS BACK, WITHOUT ANTI-WAR SONGS". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. G1.
  5. ↑ DeVault, Russ (March 16, 1991). "Country Joe's brand new rag". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. L33.
  6. 1 2 Selvin, Joel (April 28, 1991). "COUNTRY JOE RETURNS TO FOLK". San Francisco Chronicle. Sunday Datebook. p. 45.
  7. 1 2 Dunham, Elisabeth (4 July 1991). "MCDONALD COOLS IT WITH NEW ALBUM". Sun Sentinel. p. 3E.
  8. ↑ D'Agostino, John (14 June 1991). "Country Joe Revives '60s at Winston's". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 8.
  9. ↑ "MUSIC Superstitious Blues Country Joe McDonald". Newsday. PART II. 14 Jan 1991. p. 44.
  10. ↑ "NEW MUSIC, NEW VISION, NEW DAY FOR COUNTRY JOE". The Sacramento Bee. September 27, 1991. p. TK16.
  11. 1 2 "Superstitious Blues - Country Joe McDonald | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. 1 2 "Superstitious Blues". EW.com.
  13. ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 280.
  14. 1 2 Miller, Michael (January 18, 1991). "Country Joe McDonald, 'Superstitious Blues'". The State. p. 14D.
  15. ↑ Morse, Steve (24 Jan 1991). "COUNTRY JOE McDONALD SUPERSTITIOUS BLUES". The Boston Globe.
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