Gritty and grounded in the dirt from the dustbowl to the superbowl, Ramblin Jack Elliot delivers ten new interpretations of classic blues and folk from the cannon of masters: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Tampa Red, Furry Lewis, Leroy Carr, and Walter Davis.

Ranging from the cheerful and upbeat on "Richland Women Blues" to the downtrodden and foreboding on "Soul Of A Man" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy," Elliot displays the naturalness and discipline of years playing music that has become inseparable from him, his history, and his legend.

Three years from his last release, I Stand Alone, where Elliot sang little known songs he loved but rarely played, A Stranger Here adopts a darker tone, sombre, richer, captured with minute detail by producer Joe Henry. Accompanying Elliot is an eclectic mix of experienced musicians who tackle the jam session atmosphere with precision and inventiveness.

Players Van Dyke Parks, Greg Leisz, David Piltch, and David Hidalgo (from Los Lobos) are as reliable as a sunset, while Keefus Ciancia on keys and Jay Bellerose on percussion bring ample surprises and subtly to create a mix of tradition and experiment behind a man whose voice remains full of conviction and determination.

It's not to be ignored these pre-WWII depression era blues arrive at the juncture of a new economic turning-point. With this new album the blues therein can be felt as the best medicine for a distraught soul. Elliot reverberates - not the sentiments of America - but the concern of one man reacting with the only way he knows how: musically. The interpretations of these timeless songs render them particularly timely and contemporary.

Elliot avoids what lesser artists suffer from: predictability, and delivers an offering both risky and satisfying. It's no surprise the rear guard is advancing forward once again to display - what is turning out to be - the consciousness lacking in the majority of today's musical spectrum. Echoing Mavis Staples’ last album, these aged artists aren't turning back, they're giving us even more reasons to love the music we should never forget.

1. Rising High Water Blues
2. Death Don't Have No Mercy
3. Rambler's Blues
4. Soul of A Man
5. Richland Woman Blues
6. Grinnin' In Your Face
7. New Stranger Blues
8. Falling Down Blues
9. How Long Blues
10. Please Remember Me