July/August 2001

The Hoodoo Kings
The Hoodoo Kings
Telarc

By Bill Milkowski

Three elder statesmen of the Louisiana blues scene-pianist Eddie Bo, guitarist Rockin' Tabby Thomas and harmonica ace Raful Neal-join forces on The Hoodoo Kings. Backed by a band of young cohorts, these spry veterans bring old-school authority to a program of earthy originals like Thomas' gritty roadhouse rocker "I Am the Hoodoo King" and his mournful blues "Mean and Evil Woman" along with Neal's funky "Hard Times" and his menacing "Luberta." A soulful highpoint is Bo's spine-tingling reading of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Need Your Love So Bad." Other highlights include the three still-soulful bluesmen trading choruses on Sonny Curtis' rousing "I Fought the Law," Thomas' interpretation of Bob Dylan's "If I Don't Be There by Morning" and Bo's faithful reading of Professor Longhair's rollicking anthem "Big Chief." All hail these three kings.