John Hammond - Wicked Grin - 2001

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John Hammond - Wicked Grin - 2001

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Product Description: Wicked Grin is wicked indeed, just as sharp and clear and perceptive as you'd expect of an album of Tom Waits songs performed by veteran bluesman John Hammond. That basically sums up what Wicked Grin is all about; only one song on the album, the traditional "I Know I've Been Changed," wasn't written by Waits. This gorgeous recording should appeal to fans of both artists: Waits's songwriting is as incisive as ever, and Hammond explores each song to its fullest potential as he makes it his own. Waits produced the album as well. Between them, the two musicians achieve a kind of synthesis that makes for a damn fine collection. The first few songs kick things off nicely, evoking urban images, specifically of New York City, that stick in the mind like a tune running through your head that won't leave. Then there's "Shore Leave," with a sort of dark harmonic drone behind everything that makes the whole song downright spooky; the bittersweet "Fannin Street," which almost sounds like one of Johnny Cash's sweeter songs; and the Spanish-inflected "Jockey Full of Bourbon," which is capable of raising goose bumps. The format of this collaboration is perhaps a bit unusual–though there's a long history in the blues of artists covering other artists' work, it's usually done after the artist being covered is safely dead and can't object–but it works so well that it makes an excellent argument for continuing the practice, even if it's doubtful that most such pairings could be as successful as this one. This may well be one of the best releases of 2001.

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John Hammond - Wicked Grin - 2001

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Review: This is one of the best blues albums of the past 20+ years, combining John Hammond's gutty vocals and guitar with the quirky settings of producer Tom Waits (who also wrote or co-wrote all but one of the songs). It's a dirty concoction of mean streets and gutted dreams, yet elevated by the power and redemption of the blues.
The song most emblematic of the album's superiority is Track 2, "Heart Attack and Vine." This is an almost unbelievable recreation of Muddy waters' Chicago blues, thick with deep, raw, Boomy guitars and Hammond's Louisiana vocal accents. Wonderful lyrics, and an incredible sound; it has the ambience of a live set… somewhere in Chicago 45 years ago! It also features great work on the Hammond organ by Augie Meyers. I haven't heard anything like this in years.
Tracks 1 and 3 also merit special praise. Hammond's quick and cutting riffs on "2:19", coupled with Larry Taylor's thundering bass is head-shaking stuff. His playing somehow combines the power of electronic sound with the intimacy and personal touches of acoustic.
Track 3, "Clap Hands" fills a blues groove with the sinister spirit of a church with secrets, due, in large part, to Charlie Musselwhite's sinewy harmonica brewing darkly underneath. (It's so good to hear Musselwhite and his buzzsaw sound reminiscent of James Cotton.) The other songs take various blues routes and are uniformly excellent, including the John Lee Hooker flavor of "16 Shells…," Hammond's steel guitar on the country blues " Buzz Fledderjohn," the soulful "Shore Leave," and Musselwhite on "Big Black Mariah" Of special note is the gentle "Fannin Street," a folk-songish acoutic piece which, for some reason, reminded me of some of Traffic's (rock group) acoustic work.
There are annoying too-kewl liner "notes' by T. Bone Burnett, but no matter: This is a must have for all blues lovers.

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John Hammond - Wicked Grin - 2001

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