I don't know of many more aptly named album titles than the late Piedmont bluesman Cootie Stark's "Raw Sugar," which was produced by the Music Maker Relief Foundation.On "Sarah," for example, Stark sounds a bit gruff, but there's undeniable sweetness in his proclamations of love. Listen to the intensity of his vocals and guitar playing and there's no doubting his sincerity.
Stark played his guitar with a delicate ferocity. But it's his vocals that always linger around my house long after the album quits playing. On "I'm So Lonely," Stark's voice sounds big and strong, but it quivers with every word he sings. I don't know many sadder tunes.
On "Cootie's Testimony," a long rambling blues sermon, Stark calls the blues a gift. The raw, sometimes sugar-filled, blues of Stark certainly sounds like a present from a classic Piedmont bluesman to me.
Here's a clip of Stark performing "U-Haul," a song from the album:
