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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,
Johnny Shines,
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'
(originally done by 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 (check out). 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, that is different and hard to classify, yet
quite fascinating! '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. It’s a very interesting blend of a lot of different
styles that meld together into a coherent whole. And it also proves that
John Hammond is a Blues magician that can still pull out a lot of new
rabbits from that venerable hat. -by GT/LivinBlues
Mp3 -
Slick Crown Vic | |
