Right from the start of the disc’s first track, “High Time For The Devil,” I am completely in love with this album. This song has a great, raw, mean classic blues sound, which is fitting for the song’s subject, and for these strange days when the devil is the Republican Party’s nomination for president. Who would have guessed they’d sink this low? “Hatred is his style,” guest vocalist Oscar Wilson (of The Cash Box Kings) sings early on. “So make way for the devil/Got a bible in his hand.” Oh yes, we all remember that image of him holding a copy of the bible just after peaceful protestors had been tear-gassed. But it isn’t just him. It’s all the ignorant, mindless followers who are eager to have a dictator in the White House. What went wrong with those people? If evil exists, it is moving around in daylight, wearing a long red tie, attacking the rights of women and minorities, attacking the Constitution, and doing so at the cheers of nearly half the population and without facing any consequences. Anyway, this song is so damn good, and a powerful start to the album.
“Ghosted” has a more fun vibe, featuring a totally delicious rhythm. It always strikes me as odd when a song with a classic sound has lyrics that contain modern terminology and mention current technology, as this one does, with phrases like “My texts, they went unread” and “But online it’s so easy.” But of course the blues exist everywhere, even online. This track features some excellent work on harmonica, plus some great stuff on piano and guitar. Lisa Leuschner Andersen provides backing vocal work. There is also a brief, playful reference to Ghostbusters. That’s followed by “Headed For A Heartache,” which begins with a good bass line. I can’t help but think of a certain conman when I hear these lines: “You ain’t foolin’, you ain’t foolin’ me/Gonna be a day when people will see.” Maybe I’m pessimistic, but I don’t believe most of them will ever have that day. Another great rhythm and more excellent work on harmonica help make this track completely enjoyable. This is blues that make you feel good. Check out that lead on keys in the middle.
The album’s first cover is a seriously cool rendition of Otis Rush’s “Double Trouble.” Special guest Jack Sanford delivers some wonderful stuff on saxophone. There is a haunting bit that is repeated so that we soon feel completely immersed in the world of the song. Its desperation is ours too. And what a great vocal performance. “In this generation of billionaires, it’s hard for me to keep decent clothes to wear.” The guitar and the harmonica dig in, and there is a great sense of death and doom in the air. That’s followed by a cover of “What The Hell,” a song that Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite released in 2020 on 100 Years Of Blues. This song addresses the wrong turn this country took in 2016, one which half the country seems determined to make again. “It’s hard to believe the shape this nation’s in/This situation is a shame and a sin/I want to know how could a good thing go so wrong/Well, somebody tell me what the hell is going on.” It’s still difficult to wrap our heads around the direction half the nation wants the country to go. “Half the people in this country can’t stand the other half/Tell me baby, why can’t we halfway get along?” The question about getting along might be one of the past. At this point, we should not want to be friends with anyone who would support Donald Trump. It’s not a matter of a difference of opinion, it’s not a matter of politics. Supporting Trump indicates something fundamentally wrong with a person, something at the person’s core, a lack of humanity, a lack of sympathy, a lack of intelligence, a lack of compassion. Trump is a rapist, a racist, a traitor, a liar, a cheat. He has made sexual comments about a ten-year-old girl, he bragged about sexually assaulting women, he made repeated incestuous remarks about his daughter, he stole classified documents, he publicly ridiculed a person’s disability, he praised dictators. Anyone who would support this man is garbage, there is just no way around it. “He was a president, thought he was a king/You know what I like about him?/Not a goddamn thing.” This song was written while Trump was in office, so that line originally was delivered in the present tense: “He is the president, but wants to be the king.” Mark Hummel adds, “But man, I’m glad he’s gone/And now he’s gonna run again?”
“Jackknifed” is an original song, a lively, fun number about hitting the road, but then having things go wrong. This one features some wonderful stuff by Jack Sanford on saxophone, even before that delicious lead in the middle. “Seems like nowadays it’s all bad news,” Mark Hummel sings here. In addition to that excellent saxophone part, this track contains some wonderful harmonica work. That’s followed by a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Round,” which was written by Peter Green and C.G. Adams. Some people forget that Fleetwood Mac was originally a blues band. While I appreciate Rumours and Tusk, the band’s early blues stuff is their best, at least as far as I’m concerned. Mark Hummel does an excellent job with this song, and this track features saxophone. It is the last track on this disc to feature Jack Sanford.
Mark Hummel also offers a cover of B.B. King’s “Broken Heart,” one of those great blues songs about how a woman has broken her man’s heart. “It’s so hard to believe that you would do me wrong/Lord, please have mercy, babe/Won’t you stay here where you belong.” This track contains some excellent stuff on keys. Kid Andersen is on organ, and Brett Brandstatt is on piano. By the way, Kid Andersen also co-produced the album with Mark Hummel. There is also some cool work on guitar. And when Mark Hummel sings the line, “Why did you let me love you so long, babe,” we get the feeling he’s really asking, that he wants an answer. When none is coming, he lets the harmonica do some of the talking. That’s followed by “Who,” a song about people shooting their mouths off about stuff that is none of their business. It is the first of two Little Walter Jacobs songs to be included on this album, and it features a wonderful rhythm and a good lead on harmonica. “Some people always talking about something they don’t know/They like to start trouble ‘cause they want to see the show.” That rings true, doesn’t it?
“Mr. Two Thirds” begins with lines about some jerk stealing his parking spot as he’s trying to back into it. “He says, ‘Tough, you’re too damn slow.’” Sure. But, hey, as soon as he walks away from his car, it is left unprotected to your anger. Later the guy cuts in line at the store. We’ve all come across this guy, the person who stopped developing when he was approximately six years old. This is the same person who supports the Republican Party’s presidential choice. The guy is an asshole, but the song is delightful. That’s followed by “The Toddle,” the album’s second Little Walter Jacobs tune. This one is a cool instrumental track. By the way, Mark Hummel released a tribute to Little Walter titled Blue And Lonesome in 2012. “The Toddle” is followed by “Lil Electric Car,” in which Mark Hummel sings “I’m just wild about your chariot, that little electric car.” It’s something to hear a blues number about an electric car, and this track features some really nice work on piano. And I dig these humorous lines: “I’m just like that chariot/If my battery gets too weak/I need sweet lovin’ voltage/To get back on the street.” The album then concludes with “Shufflin’ Days,” which features special guest Joe Beard on guitar and lead vocals. This one mentions some of the other great blues men, including Lazy Lester, whom I was lucky enough to meet once at a blues festival. The track features a delicious harmonica part. “Tell me what you’re gonna do/When your shufflin’ days is gone.”
CD Track List
- High Time For The Devil
- Ghosted
- Headed For A Heartache
- Double Trouble
- What The Hell
- Jackknifed
- Stop Messin’ Round
- Broken Heart
- Who
- Mr. Two Thirds
- The Toddle
- Lil Electric Car
- Shufflin’ Days
True Believer is scheduled to be released on July 26, 2024.
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