Tim Hain & Sunnysideup – One Man Went To Mojo (Note Records).

Tim Hain unleashes his blend of Reggae and Blues on the nation via One Man Went To Mojo. He opens strongly with Fine Time Child, which is blues rock with reggae style middle eight. This features Errol Linton on harmonica and is a good introduction to the world of Tim Hain. There seems to be a number of Jimi Hendrix covers about today and Tim Has joined in with The Wind Cries Mary. As with many of his other tracks he gives it a reggae flavour and he has turned in a very good version. It’s well produced and there’s some excellent guitar work. There’s another cover with Little Willie John’s Need Your Love So Bad. This, of course, was made famous by Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac and, played in Hain’s style, has turned into quite a happy song. Somebody Turn On The Light is great white boy reggae with Hain’s voice sounding like velvet and Pauline Henry adding her not inconsiderable vocal talents. Paul Cox guests on If I Ever Get Home and his voice adds poignancy to this very strong anti-war roots song. Steven Stills is the next to be given the Tim Hain treatment in the guise of For What It’s Worth. Another excellent song – you can’t not like this guy. The good times continue with a rousing version of the well-known Madness Is Gladness and on Everybody’s Talking To Themselves he shows that, although he’s not Jamaican, he is the real deal.

Welcome To Iraq is, not surprisingly, another anti-war song and Tim manages to blend slide guitar and reggae very well. Clever slant on this one. The eponymous title track is just One Man Went To Mow by another name and, despite being well played and sung, is probably the weakest track on offer. Tim is back to the blues on Feels So Fine which swings along well enough with some good guitar and the spoken lyric is ok. An Old Bluesman Never Dies is performed in a John Lee Hooker style, appropriately enough as it was Zakiya Hooker who wrote it. Tim can’t help himself however and flits off into his reggae rhythms. There’s another classic in the shape of Misty Blue and this fits into Tim’s style very well. Clea Llewellen provides the vocal and there’s no doubting that Sunnysideup are a reggae band. Twenty Years Younger is a good, fun song and Albert King’s Down Don’t Bother Me is given a fine reggae/rock treatment. Tim’s high standing shows when Tony Joe White appears as a co-writer of That’s What The Blues Is All About and the result is a funky blues to rival the best. The penultimate track, I’m Just Getting Started, is a slight disappointment (compared to the rest of the set) and its blend of R&B/Soul just doesn’t reach the standard. The final song is a live bonus in the shape of Put A Smile On Your Face and it gives a flavour of their potential. I can’t wait to see this powerful performer.

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Copyright David Blue 2006.