Description
In June 2020 the collaboration between Stevie’s Blend and the American guitarist-songwriter Mark Hanna was born. The lockdown period has touched us closely, causing us to rethink the way we interpret our lives. In addition to this, following the bloody events that hit America after the killing of George Floyd followed by the “Black Lives Matter” movement, we decided to work with Mark on the creation of a song whose content addressed the issues that concern abuse and, more generally, man in his complexity as a concrete and at the same time spiritual being.
Our choice fell on the song The Soul of a man by Blind Willie Johnson who recorded it in Atlanta (Georgia) during the great depression that hit the United States in 1930. The text is of particular intensity and deals with the theme of a man who he goes in desperate search of the essence of the human soul and of someone who can enlighten him on what the soul of a man is.
The project was born from the idea of creating a new arrangement for this old blues song that Blind Willie Johnson, considered a master of gospel blues, recorded only with his touching voice accompanied by his strident guitar. The gospel-flavored beginning transforms as the song progresses, crossing the territories of acoustic blues until exploding in the apex moment of the electric guitar solo. The voices of Mark Hanna and Gianna Chillà blend perfectly, interpenetrating one into the other in a perfect amalgam and rare alchemy, the solid rhythm section of Piero Pierantozzi on drums and Michael Brill on bass allow Stefano De Angelis’ guitar to duet with the one played by Mark. Acoustic and electric guitars fused to perfection to give the song a contemporary touch while respecting the best blues tradition.
Mixed and mastered by: Lello Scavone.
Produced by: Stefano De Angelis
