VA - The Mojo Man Presents: Off To Work (KMCD129)

Size: 167.1 MB
Time: 70:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Blues, Rock, R&B
Art: Front & Back

01 Louis Jordan - Workin' Man (1:48)
02 Buster Brown - John Henry (2:32)
03 John Lee Hooker - I Lost My Job (2:54)
04 Long Tall Lester - Working Man (2:34)
05 Val Martinez - Payday (2:21)
06 Wilbert Harrison - Off To Work Again (2:35)
07 Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man (2:46)
08 St Louis Jimmy - Hard Luck Boogie (2:51)
09 Chico Leverett - Work Work (1:52)
10 B.B King - Hard Working Woman (2:32)
11 Esquerita - Laid Off (2:21)
12 Louisiana Red - Working Man Blues (2:53)
13 Little Willie Littlefield - Happy Pay Day (2:57)
14 Tommy Youngblood - Laid Off My Job Too Long (1:55)
15 B. Brown & His Rockin McVouts - Hard Working Man (2:31)
16 Big Bill Broonzy - Moppers Blues (2:37)
17 Bobby Williams - Working Man (2:26)
18 Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Auto Mechanic Blues (3:40)
19 BK Anderson - The Minimum Wage (2:12)
20 Chuck Berry - Let It Rock (1:45)
21 Oscar Brown Jr - Work Song (2:31)
22 The Heartbeats - I Found A Job (2:29)
23 Smiley Lewis - Blue Monday (2:41)
24 Fats Domino - Blue Monday (2:15)
25 Mississippi Matilda - Hard Working Woman (2:52)
26 Preacher Stephens - Unemployment Blues (2:06)
27 Lightnin' Hopkins - Dont Need No Job (2:16)
28 Jay McShann - Hard Working Mans Blues (3:20)

A new album theme arrives at Koko Mojo and one that focuses on the workplace. Presented by The Mojo Man, ‘Off To Work’ the album is not a celebratory piece about how wonderful work is, but an album that specifically concentrates on the conditions and experiences that African Americans have had to endure over the years whether enslavement (Oscar Brown Jr ‘Work Song’) and, in many cases today, lack of opportunities and poor working conditions. Without this collection of songs being a political vehicle, it is left to the album’s liner notes to provide more of such details. ‘Off To Work’ is the African American experience of work given the black rhythm and blues and blues artists featured on this album, but the songs reflect universal themes of low wages, long hours, problem bosses and the unfortunate prospect of being unemployed that many of us can experience during our working lives. Focusing on the music therefore, age-old themes of the Monday morning blues can be heard via two back-to-back numbers from Smiley Lewis and Fats Domino and, you guessed it, ‘Blue Monday’. From there, Louis Jordan provides the big band treatment to ‘Workin’ Man’, and then there’s John Lee Hooker relaying a captivating story of ‘I Lost My Job’ that sounds like lines from a script for a movie set to an old blues score, a truly wonderful track! With a further detailed turn from B.K. Anderson (‘The Minimum Wage’), and two tracks where the guitars equally do the talking via reliable Chuck Berry (‘Let It Rock’) and Lightnin’ Hopkins (‘Don’t Need No Job’), the album ‘Off To Work’ is a fascinating insight and listening experience of such a specific role in society.

The Mojo Man Presents: Off To Work (KMCD129)

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Various The Mojo Man Presents: Soldier Boy (KMCD128)

Size: 178.4 MB
Time: 75:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Blues, Rock, R&B
Art: Front & Back

01 Guitar Slim & His Band - A Letter To My Girlfriend (2:08)
02 Teddy Reynolds & The Twisters - I Thought The War Was Over (2:32)
03 Ernest Tucker - Have Mercy, Uncle Sam (2:08)
04 Little Bernie & The Cavaliers - Lonely Soldier (2:26)
05 Lloyd Price - Mailman Blues (2:09)
06 J. B. Lenoir - I'm In Korea (3:07)
07 Jerry Butler - A Lonely Soldier (2:54)
08 The Shirelles - Soldier Boy (2:42)
09 Luke Long Gone Miles - War Time Blues (2:48)
10 Prince Love & His Royal Knights - Don't Want No War (2:02)
11 The Five Breezes - My Buddy Blues (2:47)
12 The Four Fellows - Soldier Boy (2:58)
13 Brownie McGhee - Swing, Soldier, Swing (2:22)
14 Wee Bea Booze - Uncle Sam Come And Get Him (3:13)
15 Lightnin Slim - G I Slim (2:26)
16 Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - End O' War Blues (3:19)
17 The Montells - Soldier Boy, Im Sorry (2:26)
18 Muddy Waters - She's All Right (2:30)
19 The Illusions - Lonely Soldier (2:12)
20 Yank Rachell - Army Man Blues (2:54)
21 Big Bill Broonzy - In The Army Now (2:42)
22 Cousin Joe - Desperate Gi Blues (3:02)
23 Hot Lips Page's Hot Seven - Uncle Sams Blues (3:17)
24 Bobby John - Lonely Soldier (2:45)
25 Jimmy Witherspoon - Back Home (3:24)
26 The Shondells - Don't Cry My Soldier Boy (2:40)
27 Arthur Big Boy Crudup - The War Is Over (2:50)
28 Ella Fitzgerald - Soldier Boy (2:58)

The next volume in the themed series focusing on the experiences of African Americans and their roles in society arrives on Koko Mojo with, once more, the Mojo Man presenting. This time it is the experience of African American soldiers to be detailed in the album’s liner notes who fought for their country yet were denied equal rights as citizens back home. The collection of songs featured during the album ‘Soldier Boy’ offers plenty of accounts of the “blues” experienced while away overseas in combat or the struggles mentally that came with it once a war was over. Such examples can be heard during excellent late-night piano barroom blues of ‘End O’ War Blues’ from Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers that sheds plenty of tears, to another tearjerker supplied by the magnificent vocals of Jerry Butler and song ‘A Lonely Soldier’. Further isolated incidents where loneliness tends to follow during such stressful and tragic times can be heard via the smoky jazz and blues feel of “Hot Lips” Page’s Hot Seven and ‘Uncle Sams Blues’. Picking up the tempo, if not the mood, is Lloyd Price with ‘Mailman Blues’, which is a lively rhythm and blues number. The album ‘Soldier Boy’ possesses much character and expressed by the songs making up this collection, which is essential given the seriousness of the subject matter here. Therefore, expect to hear plenty of great vocal performances from the likes of Bobby John with ‘Lonely Soldier’, and same song title at least from the harmonious vocals of The Illusions and also The Montells during ‘Soldier Boy’. There is even room for some off kilter blues via Brownie McGhee and ‘Swing, Soldier, Swing’. Capturing many different emotions and emitting these feelings via its collection of songs is the rather good album ‘Soldier Boy’.

The Mojo Man Presents: Soldier Boy (KMCD128)

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VA - The Mojo Man Presents: Money, Money, Money (KMCD127)

Size: 174.5 MB
Time: 73:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Blues, Rock, R&B
Art: Front & Back

01 Willie Jones - Wheres My Money (2:14)
02 The Penguins - Money Talks (2:33)
03 Sonny Boy Williamson - Ninety Nine (2:37)
04 The Poor Boys - (Im Gonna) Spend My Money (2:15)
05 Freddie Carpenter - Money, Money, Money (2:08)
06 Jerry Mccain - Thats What They Want (2:20)
07 Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters - Money Honey (2:57)
08 John Lee Hooker - I Need Some Money (2:25)
09 Jimmy Witherspoon - Moneys Getting Cheaper (2:46)
10 Georgia Lane - Get It (2:09)
11 Eugene Lee - Money Blues (2:02)
12 Dwight Duvoll - Get The Money (2:01)
13 Detroit Junior - Money Tree (2:10)
14 Moss Tolbert - Money In My Pocket (2:18)
15 Eddie Burns - (Dont Be) Messing With My Bread (2:21)
16 Varetta Dillard - Send Me Some Money (2:22)
17 Wilbert Harrison & His Kansas City Playboys - Broke (2:27)
18 Memphis Minnie - Million Dollar Blues (2:54)
19 The Blue Diamonds - No Money (2:28)
20 Ray Charles - Greenbacks (2:48)
21 Pipes - Let Me Give You Money (2:02)
22 Big Buddy Lucus - Money, Money, Money (1:48)
23 The Clovers - Youre Cash Aint Nothing But Trash (2:55)
24 Lil' Son Jackson - No Money (1:59)
25 Barrett Strong - Money (Thats What I Want) (2:35)
26 Johnny Ace - No Money (2:45)
27 Stick McGhee - Money Fever (2:43)
28 Camille Howard & Her Boyfriends - Money Blues (2:27)
29 King Perry Orchestsra - Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket (2:40)
30 Billy Hamlin - If You Aint Got No Bread (3:15)

Focusing on the lives and experiences of African Americans is the themed album series presented by The Mojo Man via Koko Mojo Records. The latest addition to a remarkably interesting series, and one with a social conscience, is ‘Money, Money, Money’. With a great shot of boxing legend Muhammed Ali gracing the front cover and depicted deep below in an unnamed bank vault ready to horde a wedge load of cash, this compilation provides accounts of situations where the individual is either struggling to make ends meet or the occasional example where the individual has a bit of spare change in their pockets. With blues and rhythm and blues being the music ordered to represent these songs about money, there is no better place to start than Jerry McCain’s raw blues shuffle ‘That’s What They Want’. From this position whether returning to the beginning of the track list or fast forwarding to its end, the musical journey will not disappoint as there’s plenty of rhythm and blues to keep the listener entertained. Whether it’s the carefree attitude detected in the tempo of Detroit Junior’s ‘Money Tree’, or the brassy rhythm of The Poor Boys ‘(I’m Gonna) Spend My Money’, rhythm and blues is certainly the dominant force throughout the album. With Georgia Lane really letting it out of the bag with the feisty composition ‘Get It’, to Dwight Duvoll dropping deep vocals and thoroughly convincing when explaining how to ‘Get The Money’ set to a bright rhythm with, again, plenty of brass instrumentation and proving a real driving force. Add to that a classic from The Clovers with ‘Your Cash Ain’t Nothing But Trash’ and further cool brass instrumentation by way of Billy Hamlin and ‘If You Ain’t Got No Bread’, and the album ‘Money, Money, Money’ can safely be said is worth exactly all of that and more!

The Mojo Man Presents: Money, Money, Money

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