Review from eCoustics (by Glen Strauss):
Craft Recordings' Bluesville series continues to make the case that blues deserves the same serious reissue treatment usually reserved for jazz titles. Originally released in 1962 on Bluesville, Kirkland's album returned on June 12, 2026 with AAA remastering from the original analog tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, 180 gram vinyl pressed at Quality Record Pressings, a tip on jacket, obi strip, and new notes by Scott Billington.
It's the Blues Man! arrived in 1962 on Tru-Sound, the short-lived Prestige imprint, and it sounds like a record made by someone who had already put in the miles. Rudy Van Gelder engineered the session, and the presence of King Curtis and his band gives the album its shape: tight, swinging, and grounded in R&B without losing its blues center. There is no museum dust here, and thankfully no attempt to make Kirkland sound more respectable than necessary. The album moves with real range. "Train Done Gone" has forward motion, "Man of Stone" digs into a tougher groove, and its later appearance in John Mayall's world says something about how far Kirkland's writing carried. The slower material, including "I'm Gonna Forget You" and "Have Mercy on Me," shows that Kirkland did not need volume or stage theatrics to make the songs land.
Eddie Kirkland was not shaped by classrooms, critics, or anyone's tidy blues origin story. His own account placed his birth in Jamaica in 1923, though the details around his early life have never been perfectly clean, which somehow feels appropriate for a musician who spent most of his career moving. Raised in Alabama, Kirkland learned by doing: church music, street corners, road bands, long nights, bad rooms, better rooms, and whatever passed for opportunity when nobody was handing out invitations. Detroit became one of the important stops. That is where Kirkland spent years working with John Lee Hooker, which was less a job than a nightly lesson in feel, instinct, and how to survive behind a performer who did not always treat rhythm like a posted speed limit. Kirkland absorbed that looseness without becoming a copy. He had his own thing: lean, sharp, direct, and a little rough around the edges in the best possible way.
https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/eddie-kirkland-blues-man/
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Resena de eCoustics (por Glen Strauss):
La serie Bluesville de Craft Recordings sigue demostrando que el blues merece el mismo tratamiento serio de reedicion usualmente reservado para titulos de jazz. Originalmente publicado en 1962 en Bluesville, el album de Kirkland regreso el 12 de junio de 2026 con remasterizacion AAA de las cintas analogicas originales por Matthew Lutthans en The Mastering Lab, vinil de 180 gramos prensado en Quality Record Pressings, cubierta tip on, obi strip y nuevas notas de Scott Billington.
It's the Blues Man! llego en 1962 a Tru-Sound, el efimero sello de Prestige, y suena como un disco grabado por alguien que ya habia recorrido muchos kilometros. Rudy Van Gelder ingeniero la sesion, y la presencia de King Curtis y su banda le da forma al album: ajustado, swingueante, y arraigado en el R&B sin perder su centro blues. No hay polvo de museo aqui, ni intento de hacer que Kirkland suene mas respetable de lo necesario. El album se mueve con un rango real. "Train Done Gone" tiene movimiento hacia adelante, "Man of Stone" se hunde en un groove mas duro, y su posterior aparicion en el mundo de John Mayall dice algo sobre hasta donde llego la escritura de Kirkland. El material mas lento, incluyendo "I'm Gonna Forget You" y "Have Mercy on Me", muestra que Kirkland no necesitaba volumen ni teatralidad escénica para que las canciones calaran.
Eddie Kirkland no fue moldeado por aulas, criticos ni la historia de origen del blues que a nadie le queda perfecta. Su propio relato situa su nacimiento en Jamaica en 1923, aunque los detalles de su vida temprana nunca han sido perfectamente claros, lo que de alguna manera resulta apropiado para un musico que paso la mayor parte de su carrera moviéndose. Criado en Alabama, Kirkland aprendio haciendo: musica de iglesia, esquinas de calles, bandas de carretera, largas noches, malos locales, mejores locales, y lo que fuera que pasara por oportunidad cuando nadie repartia invitaciones. Detroit fue una de las paradas importantes. Alli fue donde Kirkland paso anos trabajando con John Lee Hooker, lo que era menos un trabajo que una leccion nocturna de feeling, instinto y como sobrevivir detras de un interprete que no siempre trataba el ritmo como un limite de velocidad publicado. Kirkland absorbe esa soltura sin convertirse en una copia. Tenia su propia cosa: delgada, afilada, directa y un poco aspera en los bordes de la mejor manera posible.
https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/eddie-kirkland-blues-man/
1 - Man of Stone
2 - I'm Going to Keep Loving You
3 - Don't Take My Heart
4 - Train Gone Done
5 - Down on My Knees
6 - Daddy Please Don't Cry
7 - I'm Gonna Forget You
8 - I Tried
9 - Baby You Know It's True
10 - Saturday Night Stomp
11 - Have Mercy on Me
12 - Something's Gone Wrong in My Life
Credits:
Eddie Kirkland - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
King Curtis - Tenor Saxophone
Billy Butler - Guitar
George Stubbs - Piano (Side A)
Herman Foster - Piano (Side B)
Jimmy Lewis - Bass
Ray Lucas - Drums
Compositions:
All compositions by Eddie Kirkland
Production:
Produced and supervised by Esmond Edwards
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Recorded December 8, 1961, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Reissue liner notes: Scott Billington
Remastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab (2026 reissue)
Label: Tru-Sound / Prestige TRU-15006 (original) / Craft Recordings / Bluesville (2026 reissue)
Country: US
Released: 1962 (original) / June 12, 2026 (reissue)
Genre: Blues
Style: Electric Blues, R&B, Detroit Blues
Duration: 36:15
Sources:
https://www.ecoustics.com/reviews/eddie-kirkland-blues-man/
https://americanahighways.org/2026/06/26/review-eddie-blues-man-kirkland-its-the-blues-man/
https://www.allmusic.com/album/its-the-blues-man-mw0000324254
https://secondhandsongs.com/work/34768
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