Resonator-slide specialist Reverend Peyton returns to his primary influences – early 20th-century African-American music – compelling him to shout from the hollers and the hills. Rootsy, acoustic, inter-war blues is the specific genre, and Peyton doesn’t hold back. With top-tier tutelage from the likes of David “Honeyboy” Edwards, T-Model Ford, and Robert Belfour, he masterfully appropriates the key ingredients and manifests a universe of evangelical fire.
Produced by Peyton and mixed by Grammy winner Vance Powell, guests include The McCrary Sisters on the gospel-infused “Looking For A Manger” and harmonica icon Billy Branch on Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “Nell (Prison Cell Blues).” Fiddler extraordinaire Michael Cleveland joins the tour-de-force “Freeborn Man” while banjo master Colton Crawford gets melancholy on the transformative “The Good Die Young.”
For resonator high points, Peyton performs the hell out of Robert Johnson’s “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day,” and the intricate fingerpicking on Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “One Dime Blues” is a fascinating trip back to the 1920s. As he belts and plays with virtuosity and abandon, Honeysuckle conveys Peyton’s passion, expertise, and unadulterated love for acoustic blues. – Oscar Jordan
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
