Mississippi born bluesman, Zac Harmon, issued his second CD a couple of weeks ago. The new album highlights Harmon and his band "The Mid South Blues Revue" with a variety of original new material and some oldies.

Starting with a gospel original, "A Mighty High" penned by Harmon, Cora Coleman and Tracy Carter, The Blues According To Zachariah begins to impress. Five other pieces are co-composed by members of the band and the leader. Zac Harmon's guitar prowess is evident on the second track "Sugarman." The leader spent many years as a guitarist for Z.Z.Hill, Dorothy Moore, McKinley Mitchell and Sam Myers. He moved to Los Angeles during the eighties.

The stirring "It's Cool With Me" by Eddie Cotton is a perfect vehicle for Harmon's vocal style. It has a vintage feel and Bill Purdy's organ adds to the very blue atmosphere. Another original, "That's Why," finds Harmon boosted by several very effective background vocalists.

The band delivers an impressive reading of Muddy Waters' 1955 masterpiece, "Mannish Boy." Cora Coleman's drumming is especially good on this track.

In this writer's opinion, the highlight of this disc is "It Hurts Me Too." It's a great piece of writing by Mel London and features a fabulous duet by Zac Harmon and Mickey Champion. Champion is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana and the late Charles Brown called her "one of the greatest powerhouse blues singers." The duet is a memorable performance.

The Blues According To Zachariah is both interesting and exciting. Sound samples are available at the artist's website.