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Superstitious Blues
Studio album by Country Joe McDonald
Released	1991
Studio	Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California
Genre	Country folk, folk blues
Label	Rykodisc
Country Joe McDonald chronology
Best of Country Joe McDonald: The Vanguard Years (1969–1975) (1990) Superstitious Blues (1991) Carry On (1995)

Superstitious Blues is an album by the American musician Country Joe McDonald, released in 1991. Although McDonald had played then-recent anti-Gulf War rallies, the album is made up of personal, not political, songs. McDonald considered making Superstitious Blues his final album; it was his first album in 12 years to be distributed by a label other than his own.

Production

Jerry Garcia played guitar on the album; Sandy Rothman contributed dobro. "Eunecita" was written in 1971, but remained unrecorded for almost two decades. "Clara Barton" is a tribute to the founder of the American Red Cross; "Blues for Michael" is about Mike Bloomfield. McDonald was supposed to sing at the 1991 American Red Cross annual convention, but was uninvited due to his Gulf War protest. McDonald, in contrast to some of his peers, was happy to employ digital recording during the making of the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Entertainment Weekly	C
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide
The State

Entertainment Weekly called the album "both uneven and surprising," but acknowledged that the McDonald-Garcia "guitar team-up on the pretty country-folk tune 'Standing at the Crossroads' is a blissful pleasure." The Boston Globe wrote that, "in backing McDonald, returns to fluid acoustic musings that evoke the Dead's American Beauty and Workingman's Dead."

The Sun Sentinel determined that "the shift from broader politics to personal themes reflects McDonald's maturation both as an artist and an activist." The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album "poignant, pretty and powerful, yet almost understated... Its songs range from the moody, moderately psychedelic instrumental 'Tranquility' to 'Standing at the Crossroads', a country waltz." The State concluded that "the beauty of this disc is its simplicity ... McDonald combines those old bay area psychedelic sentiments with deep-rooted blues."

AllMusic deemed it "an excellent comeback album."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joe McDonald

References

1. Hadley, Frank-John (December 9, 1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press.
2. "Country Joe McDonald Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
3. "Country Joe still gives a damn". East Bay Times. February 17, 2008.
4. ^ Rense, Rip (17 Feb 1991). "Country Joe Is Back, Without Anti-War Songs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. G1.
5. DeVault, Russ (March 16, 1991). "Country Joe's brand new rag". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. L33.
6. ^ Selvin, Joel (April 28, 1991). "Country Joe Returns to Folk". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 45.
7. ^ Dunham, Elisabeth (4 July 1991). "McDonald Cools It with New Album". Sun Sentinel. p. 3E.
8. D'Agostino, John (14 June 1991). "Country Joe Revives '60s at Winston's". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 8.
9. "Superstitious Blues Country Joe McDonald". Part II. Newsday. 14 Jan 1991. p. 44.
10. "New Music, New Vision, New Day for Country Joe". The Sacramento Bee. September 27, 1991. p. TK16.
11. ^ "Superstitious Blues". AllMusic.
12. ^ "Superstitious Blues". Entertainment Weekly.
13. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 280.
14. ^ Miller, Michael (January 18, 1991). "Country Joe McDonald, 'Superstitious Blues'". The State. p. 14D.
15. Morse, Steve (24 Jan 1991). "Country Joe McDonald Superstitious Blues". The Boston Globe.

• Country Joe McDonald albums
• 1991 albums
• Rykodisc albums