Like Libba Cotten and Mississippi John Hurt before her, Precious Bryant hastaken the blues as a starting point to forge her own beautifully inimitablestyle of picking and singing. Her guitar work is brilliant, marked by bottomlessbass notes, chiming arpeggios on the high strings and gently driving rhythms,while her singing is simply amazing, full of joy and sly wit. Bryant’ssongwriting avoids blues clich favor of sprightly rhythms and anoptimistic world-view. Even when singing of tragedy or heartbreak on “Upsand Downs” and the title track, her irrepressible good nature shines through.

Another mark of a great musician is the ability to take the work of others andmake it their own; Bryant’s versions of “When the Saints Go MarchingIn” and Little Willie John’s “Fever” bear no resemblanceto anything you’ve ever heard; they’re turned inside out and transformedby Bryant’s picking and unique rhythmic phrasing.