Carlos Del JUNCO - Blues Mongrel 2005

Carlos Del JUNCO - Blues Mongrel 2005

Blues

Harpist Carlos del Junco accentuates carefully placed golden melodies and lounge-tenor vocals that will give his southern American bandleader counterparts a listening ear. As a harmonica player, del Junco has a wonderful understanding of traditional music styles. His knowledge of Latin rhythms and percussion leads to abrupt stops and key changes mid-tune, and he has been known to "split" his harmonica at times during solos. Kevin Breit, the album's bottleneck and guitar player, shines on this record with dirty and drunken bottleneck rhythms. Breit fills the dozen tracks with whiskey fuzz and hammer-down tube-amp drawls that mimic none other than Lightnin' Hopkins himself; with de-tuned low strings and lollygagging slide. This record is recommended for fans of Rod Piazza, and the James Harman Band.
By Brett Lemke.
**
Harp player extraordinaire Del Junco is another Cuban taken under the wing of NorthernBlues. This is his sixth album but the first for the excellent Canadian label. He opens with Little Walter's Blues With A Feeling which has a fractured heavy blues start and has a contemporary feel as well as paying historical dues. Right from the beginning his harmonica playing is top class and it's not hard to see why he has won awards for his playing all over the globe. He has a novel way of playing - he plays chromatically by using an 'overblow' technique on a ten hole diatonic harmonica. He has a good voice too!

"No Particular Place shows he has lungs of steel. Great interplay between the harp and Kevin Breit's guitar on this blues/jazz instrumental. Plain Old (Down Home) Blues has a little Tex-Mex influence and although his vocal is a little too pronounced there's no disputing his harp playing. Skatoon is a dual-layered instrumental with ska overtones and Don't Bring Me Down has Breit on slide guitar. This tends towards traditional country but just slightly on the alt. side. This is a favourite of mine.

"The Jerry Goldsmith song Our Man Flint may seem like a strange choice but Carlos's ethereal beginning opens out into a swing beat and his harmonica breezes through the melody. The old favourite Run Me Down is jazzier than the The Notting Hillbillies version and the rockabilly guitar solo is excellent. Add to that another lung bursting harmonica solo and there you have it. Let's Mambo gives it all away in the title and there's a militaristic beginning to Long Highway. Carlos's laconic vocal adds to a mixture of styles.

"The title track is another fractured blues but the now commonplace interplay between guitar and harp is still strong. This instrumental probably has the best harmonica playing on the album. Sonny Boy Williamson's Nine Below Zero is treated well as Carlos snorts his way through the track. He turns acoustic for the first time on the closing track Don't Worry Your Pretty Little Head. This has a cowboy feeling and is just another facet to Carlos Del Junco. Don't believe what it says on the cover, this boy is pedigree."
By David Blue.
**
01. Blues With A Feeling 5:28
02. No Particular Place 4:26
03. Plain Old Blues 5:53
04. Skatoon 5:00
05. Don't Bring Me Down 5:28
06. Our Man Flint 5:20  
07. Run Me Down 5:13  
08. Let's Mambo 3:17
09. Long Highway 3:19
10. Blues Mongrel 3:52
11. Nine Below Zero 5:20
12. Don't Worry Your Pretty Little Head 4:40
**
Jorn Andersen- (Percussion),(Drums),
Henry Heillig- (Bass),
Kevin Breit- (Guitar), (Mandolin),
Carlos del Junco- (Harmonica),(Vocals),
Arturo Avalos- (Percussion), (Drums),
**
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