Spirited HooksCATFISH BLUES" is just that—blues from Catfish Hodge, aided and abetted by a lot of familiar musicians, among them keyboardist Mitch Collins, drummer Pete Ragusa, saxophonist Ron Holloway and guitarist Tom Principato. It’s not just one shade of blues, though. It’s a rainbow of them, alternately colored or composed by Hodge, Professor Longhair, Little Feat, Steve Goodman, Al Kooper. Willie Dixon and Chicken Legs. Hodge isn’t up to anything new here, but he knows the color scheme like the back of his hand and uses it with plenty of confidence, energy and humor, as do his session mates. He evokes Longhair’s rhythmic thrust on "Save a Little," plays the Southern soul man on "From Memphis" and the delta blues man on "Cakewalk." Hodge adds his slide guitar to a rollicking version of Dixon’s "300 Pounds of Joy" before it turns into an evangelical shout. Along with "From Memphis," Kooper’s Blood, Sweat and Tears-era ballad. "I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know" brings out Hodge’s best vocals by far. But even when the material doesn’t demand much in the way of soul-baring emotion, there’s no shortage of spirit and grooves. — Mike Joyce |