Blind Willie Johnson - Sweeter As The Years Go By
(Yazoo)

In a world where information is in abundance and available on demand, in a culture where transparency and reliability seem to be the most valued currency, and at a time when aesthetics are not enough to validate artistic intent but are rather secondary to an artist’s ideology, Blind Willie Johnson may be more vital than ever. Almost everything about him is up for debate. That is everything besides his influence and impact over the course of the last 90 years. Sweeter As The Years Go By covers about half of his recorded output, (as Johnson's entire catalog spans only 30 tracks) and is as essential as the meaning of the word can be. Everything you need to know about him can be found inside of these songs. The essence of the human condition can be found inside of these songs - Faith in the idea that things will get better, disbelief in the state we are in. That we will end up where we deserve to be. You most likely will not immediately see yourself in this man, and on the surface, how could you? But the power and the beauty of Blind Willie Johnson's music is that it has the ability to reduce us all down to the same kind of creature, one of simultaneous perfection and imperfection. Faithful and Faithless. Pre-war Blues of the highest order. (Adam)
Check out a track here.