Album Review: Mac Arnold — On a Mission

Necessity is the mother of invention; Mac Arnold arrived at that realization early in his career. When he was a mere teenager, the Upstate South Carolina native fashioned a guitar out of a gasoline can, a broomstick and wires. He did so when is father prohibited him from buying a proper instrument. Fast forward nearly 70 years – a time in which Arnold played with James Brown, Muddy Waters, Otis Spann and John Lee Hooker – and he’s still doing things his own way. A champion of the indie and DIY aesthetics long before those terms were in common use, Arnold has self-released albums featuring him and his long-running band Plate Full O’ Blues.

Recipient of myriad awards from the Blues Foundation and other institutions, the 82-year-old Arnold has scaled back his activities to some degree, performing a bit less often than in previous years. But he’s still managed to turn out a fine new album, On a Mission. Featuring mainstays Austin Brashear and Max Hightower on guitar, the album – Arnold’s first in quite some time – serves up eight new original songs.

With the assured musical firepower of his two guitarists plus the rhythm section of Mike Frost (bass) and drummer Rick Latham, for On a Mission Arnold sets aside his trusty gas can guitar, focusing solely on vocals. (Well, not solely: he also produced and arranged the album.)

The loping “Blues All Over You” opens the eight-song set. A well-worn melody is the backdrop for this easygoing tune, a subtly electrified country blues with some sprightly harmonica (courtesy of Hightower) sparring with Arnold’s laid-back vocal. The two guitarists engage in some understated interplay that adds to the song’s texture without getting in the way of Arnold’s singing.

“Dance the Blues Away” is an uptempo cousin to Howlin’ Wolf’s “Wang Dang Doodle”; the guitar work is fleet-fingered, and Arnold sounds like he’s having the time of his life on the tune. The autobiographical “I Am the Blues” chronicles the Chicago chapter of Arnold’s rich musical history. A romantic melody suits the title of “Love Story,” a model of subtlety and restrained passion. The band demonstrates its understanding of the fact that the quiet spaces between the notes are every bit as important as the notes themselves.

The title track is another showcase for supremely melodic and appealing lead guitar work; as with the album’s other tracks, Brashier and Hightower eschew distortion in favor of cleanly delivered acoustic-sounding electric guitar runs. Arnold’s self-referential lyric is in line with his personal journey and extensive philanthropic work.

“Slider” sounds a good bit like The Stray Cats’ “Stray Cat Strut,” but so too do countless other songs. With a campfire vibe heavy on acoustic guitar chording, harmonica and percussive brush-strokes, the tune doubles down on the overall warm and modest character of On a Mission.

The initial quietude of “Swamps of Louisiana” gives way to a delightful wordless moan from Mac Arnold. Against the backdrop of a catchy melody, that vocalization serves as the song’s chorus, and listeners may be moved to moan right along with the bluesman. The saucy “Won’t Tell the Truth” recasts a popular blues trope (by way of Ray Charles) into a fanciful first-person musical tale. It’s a solid way to wrap up an enjoyable and lovingly-created album.