Have Mercy! [CD]

It's been two colorful years since the release of our album Bloodlines. Through the excellent works of our colleagues at Alligator Records and our agent Tom Gold, we've taken our music to stages far and wide, and we've had the pleasure of meeting wonderful, serious blues lovers from Australia to Brazil to Scandinavia and all over Europe, Canada and the United States. It's been inspiring to see and feel first hand the very real love and dedication so many varied people have that keeps the blues alive.Similarly, we've shared stages and festivals with many of our fellow artists and have really enjoyed the special camaraderie and the support that blues musicians give each other. Makes one proud to be part of the blues community and very optimistic about the future of the blues.

The past two years have also seen three of our founding members moving on to Blues Mob alumni status. Fred McFarlane, Captain Keyboards himself, is busy in New York as a producer, studio player and co-owner of the very successful Homeboy Studios (we recorded some of Bloodlines and mixed Have Mercy! there). Douglas Booth, who covered our backs on keyboards by touring with us the first year after the release of Bloodlines, is also producing out of his own studio and working on his own solo project and an album with Sekou Sundiata (the Signifyin' Monkey orator on Bloodlines , who now has his own record deal).

Lastly, my brother Kevin Hill has decided to come off the road and return to teaching public school in the South Bronx, which is our home and where his excellent teaching skills and love for the children are truly needed. Twelve years playing with Doug, twenty-two with Fred, and especially a lifetime with Kev have been a serious blessing.We all still work together in different contexts, and Kevin continues to co-produce our albums and is a guest player on Have Mercy!,as is Fred.

As for the current lineup of Michael Hill's Blues Mob, the one and only Tony Lewis and I have been joined by two very gifted new members and friends whom we've known over the years. E.J. Sharpe (The Professor) brings fiery soul and his own jazzy sensibility to keyboards, and Pete Cummings is a great bass player who is deep in the groove and well versed in the variety of flavors we need in the Mob. E.J. and Pete are also excellent stage performers with chops to spare, so folks who know the live Mob experience can look forward to the same dynamic musicianship and excitement with our new lineup.

Which brings us to Have Mercy! We have been very appreciative of the warm and enthusiastic response so many people have had to Bloodlines and to our live shows, and with this new album I definitely wanted to maintain our respect for the blues as a rich, vivid storytelling form that has always dealt with more than just romance.

That said, the experiences of the past two years have reinforced my conviction that for whatever pain and injustice we address in our blues, there is beauty, joy and love to celebrate as well. In the end it's probably love, laughter and a sense of hope that get us through this life, and along with righteous singing, solos and grooves, we hope that Have Mercy! brings you some of that spirit.
-- Michael Hill