Omar And The Howlers - Essential Collection (2-Disc Set)

Mississippi-born but Texas-based Omar Kent Dykes understands a fundamental fact about the blues. He knows there are only a handful of rhythms and themes in the blues grab bag, and he uses them all over and over again in slightly different guises, which is far from a bad thing. It is the fundamental conservatism of the blues and its limited palette that has kept the form alive long after its colorful offspring (R&B, soul, rock & roll, etc.) flew the roost, taking a large part of the audience with them. But Omar understands all this. He has had a 30-year career playing these rhythms, and he knows how to keep it all simple, direct, and powerful, and how to build new songs out of the fabric of the old songs without destroying their familiarity. Sometimes he trips over the inherent clichés that have always haunted the form, but at his best, with songs like "Muddy Springs Road" (included here), Dykes' gruff, raspy vocals (which sound at times like Wolfman Jack fronting a blues trio) carry an impressive emotional wallop as he blends the personal and autobiographical inside the familiar rhythmic structures he uses. This two-disc set does a great job of showcasing his talents, with the first disc collecting his fan favorites while the second disc collects the tracks that are his own favorites. It adds up to the best introduction possible to his work and career. ~Steve Leggett

Album: Essential Collection (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:35
Size: 147.8 MB
Styles: Texas blues
Year: 2012

[5:21] 1. Magic Man
[6:03] 2. East Side Blues
[3:54] 3. Border Girl
[4:49] 4. Hard Times In The Land Of Plenty
[3:28] 5. Bad Seed
[3:38] 6. Wall Of Pride
[4:54] 7. Mississippi Hoo Doo Man
[2:16] 8. Big Chief Pontiac
[3:57] 9. Tears Like Rain
[4:19] 10. Monkey Land
[4:59] 11. Snake Oil Doctor
[4:00] 12. Muddy Springs Road
[5:02] 13. Boogie Man
[3:46] 14. You Made Me Laugh
[4:02] 15. Jimmy Reed Highway

Essential Collection (Disc 1) mc
Essential Collection (Disc 1) zippy

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Album: Essential Collection (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:35
Size: 134.1 MB
Styles: Texas blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. I Want You
[3:57] 2. Snake Rhythm Rock
[3:47] 3. Burn It To The Ground
[2:55] 4. Got My Heart Set On You
[4:02] 5. Work Song
[4:18] 6. Alligator Wine
[3:33] 7. Do It For Daddy
[4:28] 8. I'm Wild About You
[4:06] 9. That's Your Daddy Yaddy Yo
[5:25] 10. Stone Cold Blues
[3:09] 11. Girl's Got Rhythm
[4:08] 12. Life Without You
[3:20] 13. World Of Trouble
[4:59] 14. Sugar Ditch
[2:58] 15. Built For Comfort

Essential Collection (Disc 2) mc
Essential Collection (Disc 2) zippy

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