A life-affirming collection that hits all the right notes.
“That sound. It was something different. Something new. Something that reflected us, where we were, who we were, how we lived.” Does that describe the music that defines you? Few things in life echo the essence of a particular time, place, or culture as profoundly as music does. I Wanted To Be A Bluesman is a compelling collection of short fiction that introduces a spectrum of people, places, and situations bound together by the enduring spirit of the blues. Like finding unexplored corners on a map, readers are immediately immersed in experiences ranging from missed opportunities to nostalgic childhood memories. Some destinations are heartwarming, others are tinged with melancholy, but all impart a sense of resilience, a gentle reminder to keep moving forward no matter the challenge. While music is the beat driving the rhythm of these stories, the plots aren’t specifically about music. Instead, each vignette features colorful, vulnerable, realistic characters whose lives are either gently touched or largely shaped by this legacy-infused music. A story about Eric Clapton wandering into a local record store is easy to tie to the blues, but how a disappointing salad, a broken car A/C, or a reserved grill cook relates to the overriding theme is less well defined, and is exactly what makes these stories so entertaining.
David Joseph’s storytelling is dazzling as ever in his tribute to blues music, I Wanted To Be A Bluesman. With a comfortable pace and highly relatable characters, the tales ring with a truthfulness that makes you marvel at how fiction can so vividly capture reality. Whether it’s the sinking feeling you get watching someone make a terrible culinary mistake at a diner or the ache in your heart when you see somebody act on an inevitably poor decision, readers will feel like they know the characters as soon as they appear on the page The titular tale highlights a young man who exudes perseverance and determination, secretly teaching himself to play the guitar with only a borrowed library book and over-the-air inspiration. Another story features a girl whose only escape from a tortured childhood is the powerful, melodic voices of women who sing of grit and triumph. Through the eyes of a wildly varied group of characters, the author observes, draws lessons, muses on, and basks in every good, bad, and bizarre moment life throws at us. With a narrative voice as soulful as the music he adores, David Joseph’s I Wanted To Be A Bluesman is a life-affirming collection that hits all the right notes.
