Mojo Man

Chronique

Released in Canada in 1967, Mojo Man rounds up a bunch of sessions Ronnie Hawkins cut for Roulette between 1959 and 1963, so it's little wonder that the album feels a little uneven -- after all, it captures a time when Hawkins was trying a little bit of everything to reach the charts. None of his successful attempts are here, at least as far as the American charts are concerned, so this winds up being a sampler of styles from the Hawk. Much of this is firmly within the roadhouse rock & roll that is his specialty, opening up with a ripping version of Carl Perkins' "Matchbox," followed up quickly by a down-n-dirty grind on "Suzie Q" that rivals Dale Hawkins original. These, along with "Mojo Man," a fine spin on "Further Up the Road," and a terrific slow-blues grind called "What a Party" -- a sterling showcase for the Hawks, whose Robbie Robertson cranks out some clenched, thrilling guitar goaded on by a vocally appreciative Ronnie, who sure sounds like the forefather to Levon Helm's singing here -- are Ronnie Hawkins at his best. Elsewhere, when the tempo mellows down a bit, things get bumpier: Hawkins doesn't seem comfortable crooning the puppy love sentiments of "One Out of a Hundred," the version of "Your Cheatin' Heart" is a bit too mawkish and the anti-death penalty folk tune "The Ballad of Caryl Chessman" doesn't quite suit him. Hawkins could indeed do slower tunes, as "Lonely Hours" -- a good song that flirts with Ricky Nelson "Lonesome Town" territory makes clear -- but the problem here is that Hawkins and Roulette weren't quite sure how to get him on the charts, so they tried everything, even the stuff that didn't suit him...and then when it came time to compile Mojo Man, they threw it all together at random. There's some great stuff here, but there's a lot of not-so-great stuff, too, enough to keep this primarily of interest for serious rockers only.

© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo