John MOONEY - Gone To Hell 2000

John MOONEY - Gone To Hell 2000

Blues

This disc by John Mooney stretches his boundaries without compromising his music at all. He adds some New Orleans rhythm & blues/funk to the solid, deep Delta blues foundation on which his music is based. It works yet he doesn't seem quite comfortable with it all yet even though he wrote nine of the 13 songs (some of his strongest songs yet). Of course, he has enlisted some of the finest, such as Dr. John to plink the ivories, and some friendly familiar faces like Jeff Sarli on bass, to assist him in this endeavor. This is more a group-orientated effort and it is excellent in that respect, however, that means Mooney's guitar work is not as prominent in the mix and, thus, it requires more attention by the listener because he has not lost any of his ferocity at all. His guitar playing is some of the most savage and ferocious ever. A big plus on this disc is Mooney's singing because he is sounding more comfortable each time out and he has a voice perfectly matched in passion to the raw and fervid nature of his Delta-based material. Even his R&B is anchored in the mud of the mighty river that feeds the area. The blues are associated with the devil and passion and if you are dealing with the devil it is assumed you generally wind up down in Hell. What many people forget is that the same passion that can take you down to Hell can also raise you up to Heaven. The disc is titled Gone to Hell, and it is filled with the fierceness that takes you on the express train to whatever your destination. Where ever John Mooney is going he is riding that express with the type of dedication that is a force and fury that show a total dedication and must be reckoned with. A must for all interested in the blues and honest music that is played from the heart.
By Bob Gottlieb, All Music Guide.
**
The latest release from John Mooney has given me mixed emotions. The acoustic sides are pure mooney at his firey peak. But the other numbers on the cd, seem to lag. Kind of a mooney lite presentation.
It should have been a live recording, in a live enviornment. This is where he excels. The odd adult contemporary vibe of the first cut left me confused. Is this the same artist that blew my mind at jazzfest in new orleans only days before? Where is all the rumpshaking rythmn he has had in the past?
Place this up against Dealin with the Devil and Against the Wall, two of his best releases, and you will wonder too. The album semi warms up towards the end with Dr John and Uganda chopping it up, but not as exciting as the real thing.
I think John Mooney has alot of promise and he will remain one of my favorite artists, every artist hits a few bumps in the road, and deserves a second chance.
See him live, that is the only way to see and feel the voodoo that he do.
By Unknown.
**
John Mooney- (Vocals, Electric & Steel Guitars);
Dr. John- (Piano);
Jeff Sarli- (Bass);
Kerry Brown- (Drums, Shakers);
Alfred "Uganda" Roberts- (Congas, Percussion).
**
01. Gone To Hell 3:41
02. No 2:49  
03. That's What Lovers Do 3:19  
04. Dry Spell Blues 2:50  
05. Made Up My Mind 3:54 
06. Funky Arkansas 3:46 
07. Indian Lea 2:52 
08. I Wonder Blues 4:32 
09. Glass House 3:31  
10. Cypress Grove 3:12  
11. How Long Blues 3:54  
12. Grab A Hold 3:59 
13. Down South Blues 2:49
**
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