JOHNNY DRUMMER
BAD ATTITUDE
EARWIG MUSIC CD 4967
IS IT LOVE OR IS IT LUST–ANOTHER ROOSTER IS PECKING MY HEN–BIT HER IN THE BUTT–BAD ATTITUDE–MAKE YOU HAPPY–ONE SIZE FIT ALL–SURE SIGN OF THE BLUES–DON’T CALL ME TRASH–AIN’T NO SECRET IN A SMALL TOWN–U-TURN ON A ONE-WAY STREET–BETTER THAN GOOD–MY WOMAN, MY MONEY, MY WHISKEY–STAR 69
Johnny Drummer is one of those great “under the radar” players who has carved out quite a career for himself by playing mainly close to home in the thriving Chicago club scene on the South and West Side. He’s a strong vocalist, harpman, keyboard player and bandleader, and his topical sense of humor plays well throughout his all-original material, especially in the area of male/female relationships.
That’s the basis of the subject matter with Johnny’s fourth Earwig release, “Bad Attitude.” Johnny uses a horn section to give some of the cuts a polished, “uptown” sound, but he’s not afraid to break out his harp on the more traditional songs, such as “Sure Sign Of The Blues.” He also tackles some good ‘ol vintage soul on two cuts, the dreamy “Make You Happy,” and the waaay-cool love song, “U-Turn On A One-Way Street!”
His sense of humor is all over this one, tho. A sweet harp intro and solo at the bridge drives his “barnyard” tale that’s full of double-entendres’, “Another Rooster Is Pecking My Hen.” He offers up a fine blue-collar anthem, “just ’cause I live in a trailer, Don’t Call Me Trash!” And, “there’s no place you can hide where you can’t be found, because Ain’t No Secret In A Small Town!”
We had several favorites, too. The blues gets to rockin’ in the story of a woman whose “love is Better Than Good!” Another song with some sly-and-sexy undertones is the funkalicious tale of a confident man who can “make it big or make it small, because One Size Fit All!” And, you just gotta love the set-closer. Johnny’s got his “midnight creep” all ready to go, and “everything was fine,” until his woman mucked it all up by dialing “Star 69!”
Johnny Drummer is one of the last living links to the halcyon days of electric Chicago blues, making him a true Windy City elder statesman. But, with his incendiary live shows that give the people just what they want, and albums such as “Bad Attitude,” Johnny’s showing absolutely no signs of slowing down!! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.
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