HomeSick James - Words Of Wisdom (1997)

Nobody really knows when "Homesick" James Williamson, slide guitar legend Elmore James' cousin, was born. The liner notes to this album sugest 1914, but other sources indicate that Williamson was born in 1910 and travelling Mississippi and Tennessee extensively during the 1920, and he himself claims to have been born as early as 1905, which would make him 92 at the time of this recording.
But no matter. "Words Of Wisdom" may lack the fiery energy of Homesick James' 1960s recordings (his slashing slide playing is reminicent of cousin Elmore's), but it proves that Williamson hasn't lost his touch.
Most of these 12 songs are laid-back acoustic numbers, recorded with a variety of sidemen, and Williamson himself plays both slide and lead guitar. His voice is still rather strong, and while the material isn't ground breaking, there are a lot of nice, easy blues shuffles here, including "She's Gone", a "Walking Blues"-knockoff called "Tell Me Baby", a rendition of Little Walter's "Last Night", and Homesick's version of Elmore James' "The Twelve Year Old Boy".(By Docendo Discimus)