Blues from a church or how to use your acoustic guitar as a
Christopher Bushman | Portland, OR USA | 04/27/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Following up his excellent rockin' electric effort, Push Comes To Shove, 2009 finds Mr. Hammond alone in a NYC church with just his weathered voice, acoustic guitars, bottleneck slide and harp for the SACD Chesky Records release Rough & Tough.
The location was picked for its acoustics and the liner notes make much of the purity of the recording process. This is a stellar sounding recording of acoustic blues standards with a Tom Waits tune and a couple of Hammond originals thrown in. There is not a bum track here but on the first couple of listens, I particularly like the Muddy Waters tunes Still A Fool and I Can't Be Satisfied plus Get Behind The Mule from Tom Waits and the original Slick Crown Vic. The opener, My Mind Is Ramblin', sounds like the wheels are coming off. This is a good thing.
John Hammond is a national treasure and Rough & Tough is a great addition to the blues cannon."
John Hammond truly knows how to play the blues!!!
""Just Fred "" | 09/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This new album is without a doubt the best album by him that I own,and I own about 15 albums of his. John Hammond has become a Blues master,and it must be age that does it. If your looking for true delta style acoustic blues then this is a must own . White man can't sing the blues ,(thats a bunch of crap) once you here John Hammond sing, that old saying is quickly forgotten. And sing and play guitar/harp he does like the true Idols he always loved.Standout tracks "Get Behind The Mule","Still a Fool","No Place To Go". Great Album !"
Rough & Tough - and great
Kari | VA USA | 01/29/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"John Hammond has been playing the blues for decades. Why I have not checked him out before, I don't know, but finally I did, thanks to a review in the Down Beat magazine. Better late than never. The cover of this CD shows you exactly what you'll get. Acoustic guitar, occasional harp, rough and tough vocals. Instant credibility - one gets the feeling that John Hammond sings about himself, he sounds so authentic. Encouraged by this disc, I got Hammond's Tom Waits and Robert Johnson collections. Same high quality. If you enjoy the blues - blues without gimmicks and "modernization" - try John Hammond's blues."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1