Between a Hard Place and the Ground

by Ralph Heibutzki Buyers take note: this release has no connection to the late Michael Bloomfield's exquisitely rowdy live album, Between a Hard Place and the Ground (1979) other than a similar-sounding title used to exploit ignorance of his lesser-known solo work. Most of this disc captures Bloomfield in one of his favorite modes: playing solo blues, folk, and gospel tunes, without the expectations that accompanied better-known projects like the Super Session album. Bloomfield's eclectic musical bent also helped him to draw on countless obscurities that remained largely unheard outside their creators' circles, such as the esoteric in-joke "I'm Glad I'm Jewish." His guitar work gleams on gospel standards like "Lo, Thou I Am With Thee" and "Greatest Gifts From Heaven," as well as an inspired traditional blues medley of "Darktown Strutters Ball," "Mop Mop," and "Call Me a Dog." The intimate settings also gave Bloomfield's wobbly voice a chance to overcome its inner constraints, though his guitar is the obvious drawing card -- as proven by surefooted band versions of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind," Chuck Berry's "Wee Wee Hours," and the brooding title track. Bootlegged or not, this release is a worthwhile bookend to an often-contradictory, yet never dull musical career, and that's all Bloomfield fans can ask.