VA - Rhythm & Western Vol. 5: Cold Cold Heart (KMCD142)

Size: 170.1 MB
Time: 73:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Blues, Rock, R&B
Art: Front & Back

01 Solomon Burke - How Many Times (2:20)
02 Damito Jo - Crazy Arms (2:16)
03 Arthur Alexander - Youre The Reason (2:30)
04 Fats Domino - Jambalaya (2:27)
05 King Curtis - Im Movin On (2:26)
06 Little Richard - Do Lord, Remember Me (2:37)
07 Sonny Boy Williamson - Wake Up Baby (3:00)
08 Peppermint Harris - I Got Loaded (2:29)
09 Ella Fitzgerald - Solid As A Rock (3:05)
10 The Twilighters - Hootenanny Stomp (2:34)
11 The Sharps - Look At Me (2:18)
12 Ruth Brown - Jack O Diamonds (2:33)
13 Magic Sam - Square Dance Rock Part 1 (2:23)
14 Ted Taylor - Keep Walking On (2:13)
15 Pee Wee Crayton - Little Bitty Things (1:51)
16 Bobby Day - Undecided (2:11)
17 Fats Domino - Bo Weevil (2:08)
18 Otis Williams & The Charms - Hearts Of Stone (2:33)
19 Johnny Nash - Cigarettes, Whiskey & Wild Wild Women (2:59)
20 Smokey Hogg - Late Prowling Girl (2:44)
21 Ketty Lester - Love Letters (2:43)
22 Dinah Washington - I Dont Hurt Anymore (3:15)
23 Nat King Cole - Cold Cold Heart (3:47)
24 Sister Rosetta Tharpe - On My Way (4:08)
25 Professor Johnson & His Gospel Singers - Where Shall I Be (2:30)
26 Ben E King - My Heart Cries For You (2:22)
27 Rochell & The Candles - When My Baby Is Gone (2:07)
28 Casey Bill Weldon - You Just As Well Let Her Go (3:08)

Heading out for a fifth journey is the alluring and rather unique album series ‘Rhythm & Western’ and this time it’s all about a ‘Cold Cold Heart’. With Koko Mojo providing a home for the songs featuring Black artists performing songs that melded rhythm & blues with country & western, the outcomes are often quite different as heard during previous albums, with either straight country performances or ideas and influences creeping in somewhere between a more dominant rhythm and blues sound. Whilst this may present varying degrees of quality, the series has offered much to ponder over with the results being incredibly positive indeed. With the task of compiling such an exclusive setlist left to The Mojo Man once more, the twenty-eight tracks featured provide familiarity in terms of the artists chosen, but with the bonus of more obscure musicians to keep the listener engaged. Beginning with Solomon Burke and jaunty rhythm held during ‘How Many Times’ with its guitar the giveaway to country music, to equally sprightly tempo of ‘Look At Me’ from vocal harmony group The Sharps where the rhythm and blues contains a few subtle differences. Both tracks make for an unusual sound, reiterated during examples from Sonny Boy Williamson and ‘Wake Up Baby’ with the harmonica adding to the country feel but also the blues, and ditto its lyrics that tie together both genres once more. As with previous volumes of this album series, there are smoother sounds and fitting of the 60s period with Bobby Day and compelling ‘Undecided’ that was issued in 1960. The cheeriness in terms of rhythm continues via Fats Domino and ‘Bo Weevil’ that is a genuine floor filler, before the highly educated, one presumes, Professor Johnson & His Gospel Singers enter the stage with ‘Where Shall I Be’ that is a gospel number and another example that ties the genres of blues, rhythm and blues, and country together. With Smokey Hogg combining the two genres featured here and coming out with a slightly muddled sounding ditty in the shape of ‘Late Prowling Girl’ is evidence that the two genres do not always complement each other. However, when the ideas influencing both country and rhythm and blues join forces and presented via the altogether different interpretation of ‘Cigareetes, Whusky & Wild Wild Women’ from the vocals of Johnny Nash, then it is one such example of where ‘Rhythm & Western Volume 5: Cold Cold Heart’ truly excels.

Rhythm & Western Vol. 5: Cold Cold Heart (KMCD142)

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