McKinley Mitchell

• McKinley Mitchell [Chimneyville, 1978] A-

Consumer Guide Reviews:

McKinley Mitchell [Chimneyville, 1978]
A small miracle: Bobby Bland meets Brook Benton in the timeless realm of the not-quite-folkloric, where soul and blues sound precisely contemporary and strings voice old horn riffs with no suggestion of sellout. Mitchell's seven tunes don't measure up to the other three--"Dream Lover," "You're So Fine," and a classic blues from the early '70s called "Open House at My House." But it doesn't matter, because this is one of those groove records on which ordinary songwriting is transmuted by perfect pacing and unshakable stylistic conviction. A-