Rating:
Genre:
Blues
Release Date: 08/09/2005
Ellis Hooks had parents who, on either side of his heritage, were involved in theology, or were liquor runners. Coming from the heart of Alabama and heading to Europe, Japan, and New York to find his stardom,
Hooks has become a classic
soul singer in the mode of
Arthur Alexander,
Sam Cooke,
Otis Redding, and
Otis Clay. He uses a
rock & roll or
funk base in his rhythm, as there is more an emphasis on the down strokes rather than traditional back porch or rural sounds. He sports solid, unspectacular vocal chops, very good range, a gritty but not raw quality, and a repertoire that does reflect the up and down
blues of life.
Hooks wrote or co-wrote all of the material here, with compositional and instrumental help from multi-instrumentalist and producer
Jon Tiven and his wife, electric bass guitarist
Sally Tiven. Occasionally veteran
Chester Thompson or
Billy Block pound out the punchy beats. On the upside,
Hooks plays the slick gambler with a horn complement for the steady
"High Roller," the re-formed playboy on the fast
"Little Bitta Lovin'," and sings praise for humanity and love during
"You Changed My Life." He's at he bottom of the barrel, with no family or home next to
Jon Tiven's shimmering guitar on
"Five Times," does a self-doubting/baby left me tune with
"Black Nights, Blue Moon," and endures self-examination in
"A Phase I'm Going Through." Mason Casey contributes some fine harmonica licks for the post-sex theme
"Show Me Your Love," and rips up the shuffle boogie
"Rock My Stone" with
Jon Tiven shining on slide guitar.
Steve Cropper makes a cameo guitar appearance on the nonplussed
"Was It Something I Said?," while
Marty Brown helps
Hooks vocally, trying to wriggle out of the hustle on a woman opposite her seven foot boyfriend on
"Chainsaw" (the lyric is, he needs a "chainsaw" to get out of this mess). Not so much
blues as
Memphis soul, but done well,
Ellis Hooks has a fine future ahead of him, as this CD clearly indicates.
~Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
;)
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