What made David Bromberg so great in his prime—beside the fact that few could match his virtuosity—was his broad-minded approach. Give him a down-home blues riff, a rousing fiddle tune, a funked-up soulful chart or some obscure piece of jazz from the early 20th century and he’d Bromberg-ize it
with ease. With the always-intrepid Larry Campbell producing (and, of course, contributing his own six-strings), Only Slightly Mad recalls those early Bromberg sets. From the weepy country blues of “Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Mornin’” (with Campbell on resonator guitar) to a partially a cappella chant/three-song medley to the Bromberg-penned gospel-informed “I’ll Rise Again,” this is a guided tour of a great American artist.