Stuck in the Mud - MOre Media Reviews

...a master storyteller whose messages are worthy of repeated listens.
Three of the songs were even recorded in Clarksdale at The Shack Up Inn.
The other ten were also recorded in a historical setting in the Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama.
...the record label on which this album is being released has some historical significance...from Big Radio Records and is distributed by Select-O-Hits Records which was founded by Sam Phillips in 1960 and is still run by the Phillips family.
... storytelling is an important element of the songs
Christopher's deep voice brings similarity to some country style crooners...the lessons and pains he releases are those of the blues.
https://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/issue-18-29-july-18-2024/

Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away by a sincere and authentic artist.
...pours all his musical influences—from blues to rock’n’roll, Americana, and country—into personal stories.
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers take us through familiar lands with well-balanced tracks...Three Hours from Memphis, Cotton Ain’t King, Back to Clarksdale, Hard Work Don’t Pay, Looking for My Baby...and Good Friend Gone...
...excellent title track, “Stuck in The Mud.”
...a bluesman who starts with almost nothing but ends up a little higher and a little further,
...(a) wealth of encounters, images, strong sounds, and incomparable experiences...and inevitably...a few layers of mud stuck to his soles!
ZICAZINE (zicazic.com)

Anointed by the Nashville Songwriters Association International last year as “one to watch,"...
Wyze makes his recording debut here...serv(ing) up 13 original tunes...steeped in the blues tradition.
...downhome music with a homey feel
...a storyteller of the first order
https://www.chicagobluesguide.com/post/marty-gunther-s-red-hot-n-blues-music-reviews-september-2024

...a master storyteller whose messages are worthy of repeated listens.
...strong points...song lyrics of Christopher Wyze and the guitar playing of session guitarists Deaton and Hudson.
Christopher’s deep voice (releases) lessons and pains...of the blues.
Christopher Wyze & the Tellers - Blues Jazz Scene

Christopher Wyze is a master storyteller...
...provid(es) insights and lessons learned
...(Wyze’s) deep voice draw(s) a comparison to...country signers like Merle Haggard.
...his life story unwinds across the title song, Three Hours from Memphis
...(Wyze) looks at the history of the blues with Cotton Ain’t King.

Christopher Wyze knows how to combine styles like folk, blues and Americana music
...shows his skills as a storyteller...
...hypnotic North Mississippi Hill Country blues of Good Friend Gone.
...real roots blues in Back to Clarksdale
...sing(s) with a voice totally suitable to the style (of the blues)
VERY GOOD
https://lahoradelblues.com/en/christopher-wyze-the-tellers-stuck-in-the-mud/

Wyze has been fronting blues bands for two decades…all those years have paid off, transforming Wyze into a formidable songwriter
…the typically potent “Life Behind Bars,” feature(es) guitarist Eric Deaton (who has worked with Hank Jr. and the Black Keys) and a tasty harmonica solo by Wyze
…the vocal delivery (on “Life Behind Bars”) could remind one of the many great Willie Nelson songs.
Musically, the material never strays from the blues.
Some are stompers, like “Good Friend Gone,” some are swampers, like “Hard Work Don’t Pay.
The backing musicians lend fine support for Christopher Wyze to weave his vivid and cinematic tales…
Kudos to Koldo Barroso for the original illustrations and the fine CD packaging that includes a full color 20-page booklet including lyrics and photos of the recording sessions.
Reviews8-24.pdf (page 56)

...excellent album, full of variation...
…Wyze proves himself a fine bandleader, bringing the best from two sets of session musicians (Muscle Shoals and Clarksdale) who really know their craft.
…solid vocals, with a splendidly "lived in" feel, as well as bringing his harmonica along for the ride
Every song tells a story...songs speak of life...
...an accomplished storyteller, with a resonant vocal style that deepens the pull of his lyrics.
...an album that rewards with each listen, as each story unfolds.
...a pattern emerges...a life lived full, but one tinged with regret and loss as on Money Spent Blues and Good Friend Gone.
He's a new name to me, maybe to most of us, but this won't be for long.
...Wyze has produced a fine album that's already drawing huge praise in the USA. Here as well, hopefully.
Blues in Britain

...down-home charm comes through with the strength of the river delta pulling them along.
(Wyze) gives his original songs plenty of countrified emotion.
The title track features guitarist Cary Hudson on acoustic and slide guitars matching up with Wyze’s harp in a festive mood where stompin’ and strollin’ call for a celebration...
("Stuck in the Mud" is) like many well-known blues chants from way back: the lyrics tell of troubles, problems, and such; while the bass, drums and guitar force the rhythm onward with a positive slant.
“Back to Clarksdale” pays homage to the storytellers who’ve come through there.
“Soul on the Road” stands out as a sure album high point... Soldiers overseas, seasonal farm workers from afar, and young people making their way abroad can surely connect with the song’s lyrics.
southlandblues.com

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