Producer and guitarist David Hidalgo’s contributions are central to the success of this project.The head of the legendary Los Lobos, Hidalgo’s imprint is singular, whether as arranger, writer, or instrumentalist (he also co-penned two tunes on this CD). Many selections have been thoroughly road-tested, whether on endless modern highways or off-the-beaten-track crossroads. Featured examples of such dashboard delights include: Money Honey, Spider and the Fly, and, particularly Willie Dixon’s exquisite Same Thing, which is given an especially dramatic and forceful reading by Hammond. John Hammond has not only absorbed all the important lessons from Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and countless others, but he’s also plugged into songs that have an eternal quality to them. Included in this pantheon are three heartbreak ‘n’ hurtin’ tunes that have contributed to several tons of quarters being swallowed up by country and western jukeboxes over the decades, namely Easy Loving (Freddie Hart), and a couple George Jones classics, Just One More and Color of The Blues. Hammond hits those high, lonesome notes like a confirmed honky tonker--almost as if he’s been doing it his entire life. Hammond is an infrequent composer, but he’s knocked off a quality paean to the Ford Crown Victoria on Slick Crown Vic, etched by a John Lee Hooker-like vibe and hearkening back to Chuck Berry car classics like No Particular Place To Go and You Can’t Catch Me. Tom Waits has cut a reputation as this era’s principal Blues songwriter, although he’s seldom been cast as straight-up Bluesman, and Hammond is quickly becoming Waits’ lead interpretative Blues voice. Two more Tom Waits songs grace Ready For Love, and they are both superb, especially Low Side of the Road. Imagine how Slim Harpo would have sounded had he hooked up with the Latin Playboys, and you’ll get a hint of the delights emanating from No Chance. Hidalgo’s other composition, I Brought The Rain, is a stripped-down beauty. Comes Love was written in 1939 and was considered a commercial side at the time, but Hammond provides an object lesson in the art of convincingly translating this quality pop song into a simmering piece of Blues. Ready For Love is another eminent addition to the Hammond discography. -by Gary Tate/LivinBlues  Mp3 - Slick Crown Vic |