For all the reverence surrounding the blues, it too often gets treated like something frozen in time. But the recent collaboration between GA-20 and the great Charlie Musselwhite makes it abundantly clear that their genre of choice is still coursing with gloriously unpolished life. Their jacked-up version of the Elmore James classic “I Can’t Hold Out” is the latest single from Blues Now (New West), a new album that pairs the Boston trio with the Grammy-winning harmonica legend.
GA-20 founding guitarist Matthew Stubbs always wanted to make a true collaborative album with Musselwhite—and now he has. Recorded live over six days at Rare Signals studio in Cambridge, Mass., the album is the culmination of a partnership that began when Stubbs joined Musselwhite’s touring band in 2008. A decade later, after Musselwhite stepped away to tour with Ben Harper, Stubbs formed GA-20 with guitarist/vocalist Cody Nilsen and drummer Josh Kiggans. Thanks in large part to their explosive live chemistry, they’ve powered their way from regional cult heroes to national commodities with a consistent presence on Billboard’s blues charts.
Rooted in the same electrified Chicago-blues tradition Musselwhite helped pioneer in the 1960s, Blues Now also finds room for heavier riffs and moments of unexpected experimentation across its 10 tracks. And like the rest of album, “I Can’t Hold Out” thrives on immediacy and the locked-in chemistry of a multigenerational unit in top form.
“This tune embodies Chicago blues and features the harmonica like no other,” says Stubbs. “It’s a perfect vehicle to showcase Charlie’s legendary abilities and pay homage to one of slide guitar’s founding fathers, Elmore James.”
We’re proud to premiere GA-20 With Charlie Musselwhite’s “I Can’t Hold Out.” Look for Blues Now on July 31.
—Hobart Rowland
See GA-20 live.
