We can see January is picking up as our intray is suddenly filling with exciting new releases for early 2025. This is a blues release, and I wish Stevie (my blues reviewer) was not on maternity break, as she would have leapt on this one.
Mark Muleman Massey has a smooth blues delivery, and he is rooted in the history of the blues exemplified by the likes of Lead Belly and BB King. Recognized and recorded by the Library of Congress as the grandson of sharecroppers, Muleman grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi—in the cradle of the Delta. At 19, he found himself in Parchman Prison, which was modeled after a slave plantation. Like Leadbelly, R.L. Burnside, and Bukka White, who preceded Muleman’s time there, he was living the unimaginable prison life. Although he’d never picked up a guitar, David Kimbrough, the son of legendary blues icon Junior Kimbrough, took Muleman under his wing and taught him the basics. Muleman’s innate talents and inspired experiences earned him a spot in the legendary Parchman Prison Band, which was the first time Muleman opened up for B.B. King.
The BB connection was enough to get me putting on the headphones and doing the review (I’m having to actually work while Stevie is off!).

My review.
“Been a Long, Long Time” is a breezy opener with mean harmonica. It has a great beat and oozes positivity! It takes us into a track you find yourself moving along to and I would love to hear this live.
“Baby’s Gone” brings a story—a sad tale told to us in the classic old blues lament style. If you want to hear a dreamy number, beautifully sung and delivered, this one is for you. I did like it.
“Can’t Tell Me Nothing About the Blues” has a little bit of funk in the mix. It’s a great groove about the blues, and it lyrically contemplates all that sh** that we come across and we drive that rough old road called life. I liked the beat!
“Give Me Your Love” is one of those late evening tracks where you hold your partner as the last dancers on the floor in the early hours. It is a romantic number with a gentle swing that hits the button.
“Hey Good Looking” is obviously titled with me in mind! It is, of course, that classic “Hey, good looking, what you got cooking?” It is a fun track that you have to smile at, a fine reworking of the Hank Williams original.
“That’s How I Got to Memphis” is a solid album track; it has a romantic theme and is dreamy with some nice drum beat and uplifting instrumentalisation.
“She’s Married to the Streets” is a cool song. This one you would listen to while you had a late-night drink at the bar and the band was turning one of their last songs of the night. A song to be listened to at twilight only.
“I’m Sorry About That” has one of those old bluesmen themes. A lyrical lament to lost love and sinking into the blues. The blues is sometimes actually about doing your woman wrong!
“My Used to Be” is more upbeat with that great chorus and some funky instrumentalisation. We should never see the one we love in another’s arms!
“Going Back to Memphis” is the second of the two Memphis tracks and has that great harmonica again. It adds a bit of Elvis rock n’roll into the blues beat. You can almost smell the chicken in this number, lol.
“Your Good Stuff” closes the album with a bit of shuffle and a bit of blues! Play this live, guys; it will have the audience clapping along.
In Summary: BB King once said, “Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you,” and if I was feeling blue then there is much here to revive me. I would also say to sing the blues; you have to have lived, worked through problems and faced them. “Been a Long, Long Time” is a wonderful blues outing to start 2025; it is a very satisfying listen.
Standout Tracks: “Been a Long, Long Time,” “Baby’s Gone” and “My Used to Be.”
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You can stream music from Mark here
By Benny (the Ball) Benson

Musicians:
WURLITZER AND B3-CLAYTON IVEY AND JIM
WHITEHEAD
GUITARS: BILLY LAWSON, MARK MULEMAN
MASSEY
TRAVIS WAMMACK AND KELVIN HOLLY
BASS-BOB N WEAVER
DRUMS, ROGER STARR
HORNS: THE WEBSTER STREET HORNS
HARMONICA – ROBBERT FOSSEN
BACKGROUND VOCALS: THE AVALON SISTERS
RECORDED AND PRODUCED BY BILLY LAWSON
AT WISHBONE RECORDING STUDIOS IN MUSCLE
SHOALS, ALABAMA