Give me a few hours in any city and I'm bound to spend at least one hour in a record shop - and come out with something interesting. Usually it's a CD by a local band, but in the case of Luxembourg I didn't have the time to delve into the local music scene - if, indeed, there is any. I'm not dissing the Grand Duchy, it's just that it doesn't seem to have produced anyone even remotely famous, other than the president of the European Commission mr. Junker. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that artists still play there - on the night of my visit, it was fellow Greek Maria Farantouri, a favorite performer of the great composer/songwriter Mikis Theodorakis. OK, nobody in Greece listens to Farantouri any more so that's not a good example, but 3 days ago it was Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame. Not bad! Anyway, I stumbled into Le Réservoir, a combination of video game/comic book/CD & DVD shop. They had a number of indie CD's on sale, most of which were unknown to me, but I singled out this one:
It's a covers album, mostly of blues songs, but also of MC5, The Kills and Gun Club (hmm, interesting combination). The singer's name is Johnny Walker - sounds familiar, where have I heard this name before? What? Whiskey? Nonsense! Oh, yes - the former frontman of the Soledad Brothers. Stag-O-Lee (the record company) has released the latest Fuzztones albums, which I loved, plus I like the handmade black and white esthetic of the cover, it reminds me of Dead Moon. And then, there's the price. OK, I'll bite... It took 20 seconds for the band to justify my faith in them: Frank Frost's "Don't Ever Leave Your Daddy At Home" is a dynamite garage-blues stomper with killer harp. "Help Me" is a cover of an excellent (hitherto unknown to me) gospel by Lula Collins, with neat organ and a heavy soul vibe that reminded me of The Bellrays. "Please Give Somethin’" is rockabilly as it would be performed by the Stooges/Flamin' Groovies, and the original belongs to another relatively unknown singer, Bill Allen. I love it when someone turns me on to a new artist. "I Wanna Holler" by Gary US Bonds is more familiar, if only via the Detroit Cobras version that I've recently reviewed. This one's different but just as good, with groovy organ, African-style drumming, rough lead and sweet backing vocals. You know what? the band are going to hate me for saying it, but it sounds like the Santana band backing Lee Brilleaux from Dr Feelgood - in a good way. The medley between Hound Dog Taylor's "Let's Get Funky" and MC5's "Back To Comm" is emblematic of Cut In The Hill Gang's two core influences. If you're a fan of the Stooges (Iggy's gang, that is, not the comedy trio) or Jon Spencer, you'll love it. The band falls into a slow, deep blues groove for John Lee Hooker's "Serves Me Right To Suffer" while "Come On Home" by R&B unknown Louis "Blues Boy" Jones gets an energetic, Mitch Ryder-style, garage treatment. "The Right To Love You" is an honest-to-God pure soul song written by soul demi-legend (and former pimp) the Mighty Hannibal. Some modern influences follow: The Kills' punk blues "Fuck The People" is played as a medley with Spacemen 3's psychedelic drone "Revolution". In case you didn't know, The Kills' Alison Mosshart is, together with Jack White, the leader of Dead Weather - one of the many ways that Cut In The Hill Gang's and Jack White's paths cross, e.g. Walker guested in early White Stripes albums, his former bandmate Ben Swank is White's partner in Third Man Records, etc. Last but not least, we've got an acoustic slide guitar-dominated take on Gun Club's "Promise Me". All in all, this album was so much better than what I had right to expect by an unknown band from Cincinnati (Ohio) recording for an indie German label - enough for me to advise Johnny Walker to leave his whiskey-bottling business behind and start dealing in rock'n'roll, full time!
**** for Don't Ever Leave Your Daddy At Home, I Wanna Holler, Come On Home, The Right To Love You
*** for Help Me, Please Give Somethin’, Let’s Get Funky/Black To Comm, Serves Me Right To Suffer, Fuck The People/Revolution, Promise Me
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