This is absolutely the all-time favourite CD I have heard in 2002 (except that it was released in 1999). Although I have heard dozens of CDs in the past year by performers who were unfamiliar to me, the only other one that came close to "speaking to my country-blues heart" was the now late Dave Conant and his Chiaroscuro CD.
I first heard Tim "Too Slim" Langford with his band, The Taildraggers, on their King Size Troublemakers CD and was simply blown away with their awesome sound! While that CD was electri-fried blues-rock boogie, this one is an equally kick-ass acoustic effort by Tim, with his long-time drummer John "Midnight Cage" on percussion, spoons and "thumps" and a mysterious bassist known as "Slatts Maybe", reputed to be Too Slim himself.
Tim is obviously a big fan of Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins, as almost half of the songs on Pint Store Blues are Hopkins originals. Sam is also cited as a special guest on King Size Troublemakers, an enigma that remains unsolved, as Mr. Hopkins died in 1982 (I'm presuming a sample was inserted on the CD). Other classic bluesmen covered on the CD include Willie Dixon ("Mean Ol' World"), Muddy Waters ("Honey Bee") and John Lee Hooker ("Crawlin' King Snake"), the latter, especially, being a red-hot foot-stomper that will have you howlin' for more! Two unusual variations are Bob Dylan's "Highway 51" and Leo Kottke's "Vaseline Machine (Gun)".
Other outstanding tracks, although all have their own merit, are Hopkins' "Little Sister Boogie" and "Shake It Baby", for those delicious bass lines, 'pick-it-up' rhythm strokes and those down-and-dirty vocals that put similarly-voiced Billy Gibbons on the blues-rock map!
Apart from his "troublemaking" vocals, Tim is a splendid guitar and dobro player who can emulate any musician he chooses; if that weren't enough, he's also one of the most efficient and effective harmonica players I've heard too! |
