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John Hammond jr.: Push comes to whove

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Jopama Records
Released: 2001.03.13
Time:
 45:22
Category: Blues
Producer(s): G.Love
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.johnhammond.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2007.05.24
Price in €: 19,85



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Push Comes to Shove (J.Hammond) - 3:52
[2] Come on in This House (J.Wells) - 3:59
[3] Mean Ol' Lonesome Train (O.Hicks/J.West) - 3:30
[4] If You Wanna Rock & Roll (D.Dimucci) - 4:09
[5] I'm Tore Down (S.Thompson) - 4:10
[6] Eyes Behind Your Head (J.Hammond) - 3:03
[7] Butter (G.Dutton) - 3:42
[8] Heartache Blues (J.Hammond) - 3:49
[9] Everything Gonna Be Alright (W.Jacobs) - 3:06
[10] Take a Fool's Advice (J.Hammond) - 3:17
[11]  You Know That's Cold (J.Hammond) - 3:52
[12] Cold Water (K.Brennan/T.Waits) - 4:48

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l

 
John F. Hammond - Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Harp, Vocals, National Steel Guitar, Electric Harp, Sculpture
Stephen Hodges - Drums, Tambourine, Washboard, Handclapping, Shaker, Cowbell
Bruce Katz - Organ, Piano, Accordion, Electric Piano
Marty Ballou - Electric & Acoustic Bass

Marla Hammond - Executive Producer, Assistant Producer, Liner Notes
Evan Adler - Product Manager
Mike Bailey - Director, A&R
Jessica Chomesky - Photography
James Dellatacoma - Assistant Engineer
Michael Fossenkemper - Mastering
Keith Karwelies - A&R, Administration
Corey Reando - Studio Assistant
Burton Yount - Art Direction, Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2007 CD Jopama Records 54741
2007 CD Back Porch 64741
2007 CD Megaforce  020286105220

It's a precious few artists who reinvent themselves at the age of 64, but blues luminary John Hammond proves himself the ultimate untraditional traditionalist as the dozen stellar songs on Push Comes to Shove illustrate. Push Comes to Shove marks an increased output in Hammond's original compositions- he penned five of the CD's 12 songs- and there's a bold collaboration with the album's producer, G.Love (the innovative and soulful Philly singer/guitarist and longtime Hammond fanatic), in the hip-hop-tinged blues of "Tore Down", as well as a handful of personalized renderings of traditional blues numbers, a musical modus operandi that has earned Hammond multiple Grammy nominations since his 1962 self-titled debut. Since then, Hammond has made 31 records and tours year-round, learning from and playing with musical greats and friends including Tom Waits, Muddy Waters, and Michael Bloomfield. Those unparalleled experiences and authenticity shine through brightly on Push Comes to Shove.



If the combination of veteran bluesman John Hammond with contemporary Philly hip-hop/soulman G Love (a.k.a. Garrett Dutton) sends shivers of fear down the spines of blues purists, the duo's collaboration here shows there is nothing to be worried about. Despite differences in age, backgrounds, and styles, they have shared bills and obviously respect each other's talents. Hammond, who has recently dipped his toes into songwriting waters after being solely an interpretive artist for nearly 40 years, jumps into the river with a whopping five originals. Love contributes a few as well, and the result is an album that rocks harder and with more intensity than most artists half Hammond's age can muster. Add covers from Little Walter, Junior Wells, and Tom Waits (Hammond's 2001 release Wicked Grin, comprised predominantly of Waits songs, is one of his biggest sellers), and the result is one of the finest and most diverse discs in the bluesman's bulging catalog. The stripped-down backing band of journeymen including bassist Marty Ballou, ex-Waits drummer Steven Hodges, and keyboardist Bruce Katz provides plenty of sparks with which Hammond--who plays rowdy guitar and sizzling harp throughout--can catch fire. Love adds his harmony vocals and rapping to his own "Tore Down," a near-perfect collision of blues and hip-hop and a song likely to get Hammond crossover acceptance with Dutton's more youthful jam-oriented audience. The jazzy "Eyes Behind Your Head" and a rollicking take on Dion's "If You Want to Rock and Roll" further expand Hammond's reach without either diluting his sound or distancing his core fans. In his mid-60s upon this album's release, he sounds loose, energized, and ready for another 40 years.

Hal Horowitz - Amazon.com



John Hammond has been releasing records for over 40 years. He's stayed stubbornly true to his vision of the blues for the entire run. Some of those recordings have, understandably, been better than others, but as a live performer - whether playing in a roadhouse or on a festival stage -- he's burned the house down. Unfortunately for him, that fiery wandering spirit has not always been captured on tape. That said, Hammond rings in 2007 with Push Comes to Shove, an album of originals and covers done his own way, recorded with his traveling band that includes bassist Marty Ballou, pianist/organist Bruce Katz, and drummer Stephen Hodges. There is a new twist in the offing, however. His producer this time out is someone who gets it. In Garrett Dutton (aka G. Love), Hammond has found the flame anew. Love and Hammond met years ago in a bar in Philly. Love was there to see the bluesman perform, but didn't know him by sight. He was old enough to drive to the gig and get in the door, but not old enough to drink legally. He approached Hammond and his wife, Marla, without knowing who they were, to buy drinks for him and his girlfriend. More recently, Hammond and Love happened upon one another in a train station in Yokohama. Marla made the suggestion and this collaboration was born. Love gets Hammond in a way that most producers can't. He feels and hears him as an itinerant bluesman who has to shout for his supper from the stage. That's the way Push Comes to Shove sounds: raw, mean, dirty, bellowing, and soulful. Love places Hammond's distorted, filthy guitar - electric or acoustic - just above the throng created by the band, mixing his voice just above them, roaring and growling like a lion.
Above all, he captures the groove the band creates live in the recording studio. One listen to the title cut that opens the set is proof enough as it snarls, pounces, and struts. Hammond's harp and acoustic drive Junior Wells' "Come on in This House." The raw Chicago soulside blues come roiling out of the speakers with Hammond's spitfire, gravel, and grit electric harp popping its way through the mix. It's this track and Little Walter's "Everything Gonna Be Alright" - the high points on this disc - that signify Hammond's true worth. Not because the tunes are blues classics - though that doesn't hurt - but because Hammond takes these dusty old nuggets and polishes them off while leaving the scuffs intact. He makes the old blues new without succumbing to any of the "modern blues" clichés so prevalent in the music - indeed that are threatening to destroy it. The years roll back, and one can feel the sweat, blood, and beer running across the floor. Hammond pays back the honor by recording Love's "Butter" on the set; Love plays guitar on the track (and on Sonny Thompson's "I'm Tore Down" as well). And Hammond takes the opportunity to really let it rip. The cover of Tom Waits' "Cold Water" that closes the album is a hip selection. Hammond's feel for the tune is genuine. He copies Waits' phrasing, but the rest - the band's attack -- is all his. It slips, slides, staggers, and all but collapses, but never loses the groove. This match, first made in a barroom, may have been just the kick Hammond needs to grab the attention of another generation without losing his hard-won constituency.

Thom Jurek - All Music Guide



Bluesman John Hammond, son of the famed folk-era talent scout, passes the torch again on this barrelhouse session overseen by G. Love, who is, as Hammond's wife puts it, "the Hip-Hop John Hammond." Apart from a short rapping cameo on "I'm Tore Down," though, the producer keeps the spotlight on Hammond, and indeed happily rolls around with him and the guitarist's touring trio through growling, swampy blues sounds that are some of the grimiest Hammond's put to record. Hammond does tip the hat to G. Love with a cover of the Philadelphia native's "Butter," but there are no samples or trickery, just clatter-clash rhythms and stutter-stop time signatures merrily shambling below Hammond's brawny vocals and freight-train harmonica. It's hard to believe that any artist -- especially a blues artist -- could come up with something as fresh, honest, and alive as Push Comes to Shove after 44 years in the business. But there are precious few like John Hammond.

Mark Schwartz - Barnes & Noble

 

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