Hyena; Release date: May 8, 2007
The Deal: Lead-footed guitar peddler lightens up for some low-down blues.
The Good: James Blood Ulmer is not easy-listening music. Full of unexpected twists and turns, dominated by Ulmer’s wah-wah pedal, his blues treatments often dissolve into dissonance. His take on blues is generally in the acid jazz/funk arena, as he demonstrates on the opening cut “Survivors of the Hurricane.” Sounding like he’s drowning in swampwater, Ulmer’s vocal burbles around a guitar sounding like it’s being shorted out by floodwaters. His covers here of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Commit A Crime” and John Lee Hooker’s “This Land Is Nobody’s Land” and Willie Dixon’s “Dead Presidents” are probably the closet Ulmer has ever come to paying homage to bluesmen by performing their work more or less straight. His version of Junior Kimbrough’s “Sad Days, Lonely Nights” has Ulmer wallowing in the simple Mississippi high-country riddums, sounding like his tonsils have been sandpapered with moonshine. “Katrina” is a stark wake-up call to those who neglected the poor survivors: better keep looking behind you — there’s a hellhound on your trail.
The Bad: If you want to get down with Blood, you usually have to compromise — which usually means accepting deafness by wah-wah. This may be the most accessible record Ulmer has ever made. Still, it ain’t no foot-pattin’ boogie blues.
The Verdict: Interesting, but an acquired taste. Take in small doses.
This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2007.
