There is a rule in life that says no true pioneer is glorified.
Usually, the one who makes the beginning in a field “burn” and apart from the fact that he falls victim to intellectual theft, he dies alone and in a state of oblivion.
Rock music, as expected, could not break this rule.
Apart from specific individuals, there is an area in America that has given birth to a kind of music and a multitude of talents that have remained in obscurity.
Mississippi was not only known for its floods and the fertility it offered to the surrounding areas, but also for its musically fertile place.
Always flooded with self-taught musicians.
The music of the area was the starting point for Rock’N’Roll along with all its expressions.
To this day, it continues to be a source of inspiration, but also of musical “loans” for all spectrums of music.
Rythm’N ‘Blues beyond all its offer, has supported the inspiration of many artists.
In fact, there are many “famous” artists who even today seek inspiration from it.
Moby, a musician who never limited himself to one genre, also borrowed some inspiration from the Rythm’N ‘Blues.
Natural Blues…
“Natural Blues” is the result of this “borrowing”.
The creation of Richard Melville Hall and Vera Hall was first released in 1937 with the voice of Vera Hall and entitled “Trouble So Hard”.
It was the only known song by the Folk singer from Livingston, Alabama.
Moby came in contact with the song through John Avery Lomax’s collection, “Alabama: From Lullabies to Blues”.
The ethnomusicologist’s contribution to the spread of the music tradition in that area is enormous and many musicians have turned to him in a search for inspiration.
“Natural Blues” is included in Moby’s fifth studio album, “Play”, and features samples from Hall’s “Trouble So Hard”.
Moby describes this song as an “ethereal and mourning” song.
The artist’s initial thought was not to include it in his album, as he encountered many difficulties in mixing the song.
Eventually, however, thanks to the help of the British duo 1 Giant Leap, the mix was completed satisfactorily.
The music video for the song, directed by David LaChapelle and starring Christina Ricci, was awarded by MTV Europe at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
A second version of the video clip is an animation, created by Susi Wilkinson, Hotessa Laurence, and Filipe Alçada, in the style of “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?”