Moot Davis' new album is Goin' In Hot - literally. His Nashville studio burned to the ground just days after the final mixing was done. Luckily, engineer Joe McMahan was able to salvage the music from his melted and water logged computer. Lucky for us he did because this album smokes - literally!
The leadoff title song grabs you by the ear from the first notes. With a little more rock and roll influence than his first three albums, this song sounds a lot more like The Waco Brothers than Buck Owens - complete with a smokin' guitar solo in the middle. Moot keeps up the pace on "Food Stamps," with some nice steel guitar work to punctuate this rollicking, poor man blues. Moot gets further in touch with his rockin' side on "Midnight Train," "Ragman's Roll," and the Little Feat inspired, "Made For Blood."
But this album isn't all rock riffs and guitar solos. Nearly half the songs are more traditional Country Blues. Which is only fitting, because Moot recorded this collection in the aftermath of a broken long term relationship. In "Used to Call it Love," he sings, "Said she wanted a semiprecious stone set in a band of pure gold... But I soon found out that all she desired I could never come to acquire." Moot grapples with his loss in "Hurtin For Real," and "Wanna Go Back." And surprisingly, he even manages to combine his heartache with his rock and roll energy in "Love Hangover."
They say whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Moot Davis proves that by facing his two trials by fire and coming out stronger than ever. The result is an album that comes in hot and sizzles all the way through!
Great review, thanks!
ReplyDelete