Rumor has it, Todd Albright doesn’t even own a six-string guitar. And his proclivity for the baritone 12-string acoustic has made him a revered interpreter of century-old work by Blind Willie McTell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lead Belly and other foundational players. Here in the present day, the Detroit-based musician has recorded for Jack White’s Third Man label and shared stages with the Raconteurs, Cedric Burnside, the Wood Brothers and Dick Dale.
Albright’s mentor is 81-year-old blues ambassador Paul Geremia, a Grammy-nominated musician who learned from the likes of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Skip James, Son House and Howlin’ Wolf. “If That Woman’s Love Was Whiskey” takes a page from the teacher’s songbook: a lovers’ ode built around a beautiful slide arrangement in a classic Vestapol tuning. It’s the latest single from Blues For Dexter Linwood, Albright’s fourth release and the first on his Misfortune label.
“It was written by Paul sometime in the 1990s,” says Albright of the tune. “I saw him play it many times. It’s one of those songs that I didn’t so much learn as absorb.”
We’re proud to premiere Todd Albright’s “If That Woman’s Love Was Whiskey.” Blues For Dexter Linwood is out April 17.
—Hobart Rowland
See Todd Albright live.
