| ARTIST: John Hammond |
| ALBUM: Wicked Grin (2001) |
| LINK: http://www.johnhammond.com |
| It was March of last year, when I first had the pleasure of seeing John Hammond at one of my favorite music venues, The Birchmere (Alexandria, VA). A man, a couple of guitars, a handful of harmonicas, a chair and two good stompin’ shoes was all he needed to transfer the crowd into his world of raw-to-the-bone renditions of nothing but the blues, almost as authentic as hearing a weathered black man full of “piss & vinegar” singing stories in a rickety, tobacco farm shanty. Mr. Hammond mentioned that he was working on a new album of Tom Waits songs being produced by, none other than, Tom Waits, so I felt myself instantly thirsting for the musical sludge the two of them were devising. Well, my anticipation for this record lasted about 6 months longer than I expected, but it was finally released sometime in March of this year, and man... what an incredible concoction!
Just imagine elements of John’s physical & emotional ability to whip-up magical renditions of any tune that means something to him with his usual purist approach, then add Tom’s quirky, ingenious, beautiful, putrid, heartfelt, demented, wholesome, wicked masterful plan to reinvent his songs utilizing Hammond, a band of flavored blues men and his favorite studio... or should I say... laboratory. The result obviously highlights blues as a major ingredient to Waits’s music through the heart & soul of a guy with the ability to turn every tune he handles into blues-gold. The album title is perfect, and you’ll know why when you feel the physiological effects of these tunes on your brain and facial muscles, hopefully resulting in an uncontrollable “malevolent smirk”. |