THE
BUDDAHEADS "Mumbo Jumbo" Wilshire Park Records
Buddaheads.com
Coming out of nowhere and crashing in at number one comes the
magnificent Buddaheads. For a trio this band create a lovely melange of guitar
led Rock blues, funk with even a dash of Rap.
But song writing guitarist/vocalist Alan Mirikitani a.k.a BB Chung King is
closer to Hendrix and in contemporary parlance The Imperial Crowns than any
other influence.
In fact "Mumbo Jumbo" will appeal to all lovers of guitar led rock Blues but as on the one cover on the album, Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" the band show they have real soul, as BB delivers some killer phrasing and full toned guitar.
For the most part this album positively oozes classic funky rocking blues, all cleverly held together by a very contemporary production. BB has it all in terms of singing, songs and supreme guitar lines, and he is bolstered by a rtythm section of real presence. Johnny Griparic is an awesome bass player, recalling the days of Free's Andy Fraser, while drummer Lee Spath underpins everything superbly.
There
are 14 tracks nearly all of which surpass expectations. From the low down
funk blues feel of "All
Night Long" and the mighty Classic Rock hook of "Hurricane"
to the sweeping rock ballad "Hold On" and the soulful "Mood
For Love", complete with JB style horns and a mesmerising mid number
Rap, this band slips into a mighty groove. On top of that ol' BB's got the
blues too, on a smoking version of "Amen".
Guitar led blues doesn't get much better than this.
If nothing else the Buddaheads set the standard for where Rock blues ought to be. Think of Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Storyville, Double Trouble, etc, but then realise that unlike those examples, BB sings as good as he writes and plays with fire, passion and a great tone, and friends, this is one killer album!!!!
Here are
some audio clips from Mumbo Jumbo: |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| Tupelo Honey |  |
 |
| All Night Long | |
|
| Amen | |
|
The Buddaheads were number 1 in the August 2004 playlist and nos 4 & 5 in the September 2004 playlist
Clips are in Windows Media Player format, and should stream to your PC in CD quality if you have Broadband, or lower quality if you use a dial-up connection.
If you don't have Windows
Media Player on your PC or Mac you can download the
latest version free by clicking this logo:
