Jungle
Blues
King Hokum Records KHR-02 Jungle Blues -
Talkin' Lion Blues -
Jungle Lullaby - Brave
Son Of America -
Jailhouse Blues -
Housebound Blues - I
Heard The Marchin' Of The
Drum - The Love Me Or Die
- Early In The Mornin -
The Greatest Liar
"Jungle blues"
marks the return of CW
Stoneking two years after
"King Hokum".
The title track,
featuring the Primitive
Horn Orchestra (trumpet,
trombone, clarinet, alto,
tenor, and baritone
saxophones, sousaphone,
piano, harmonium, drums
and double bass), sounds
like an impromptu jam
between Emmett Miller and
Duke Ellington's jungle
jazz. Stonekings repeats
in interviews that this
is based upon a true
story, maybe, who knows,
but don't forget that the
last song of this album,
is called "The
Greatest Liar" . The
next song is a fable
about a trial, a talkin'
Lion and a judge who's a
monkey (I let you guess
what happens to the
narrator). It opens with
chords from the French
popular song of the 30's
"Parlez Moi D'Amour"
and evolves into a Jimmie
Rodgers / Cliff Carlisle
blues with yodel and
spare instrumentation.
"Jungle lullaby"
comes next, but this
lullaby keeps you wide
awake in awe. Imagine a
cross betwen Jimmie
Rodger's Prairie Lullaby
and the best sides of
Leon Redbone from his
"Double Time era
like "If We Never
Meet Again This Side Of
Heaven" with
beautiful strings
arrangement. The
Primitive Horn Orchestra
returns on "Brave
Son Of America" the
sole cover of the
album from the pen
of the self crowned
"king of Calypso"
: Wilmoth Houdini. Though
it can seem odd to hear
an Aussie singing about
an American general of
the fourties, Stoneking's
talent makes you accept
that without any
hesitation. "Jailhouse
Blues" is a sad
country blues that
Stonekings sings alone
with his guitar. The
talented Kristy Fraser,
Stoneking's partner and
already present on King
Hokum, complains about
her man who's never home,
drinking and singing,
while she swaps the floor
and changes the dappers
on Housebound Blues in
the style of the great
blues/jazz female singer
of the early 20's. The
spirit (the ghost?) of
New Orleans floats upon
"I Heard The
Marching Of The Drums",
a haunting jazz song with
a martial beat and a
funeral feel. Back to the
Calypso with the sinister
"Love Me Or Die",
a sad tale about a bad
hoodoo. Imagine "Hell"
by the Squirrel Nut
Zippers but with a dark
Tom Waits instead of the
cabaret aspect. Spooky.
"Early In The
Morning" evokes both
Robert Johnson and Tom
Waits' "Murder In
The Red Barn". The
album ends on a lighter
note with a talkin' blues
about the "Greatest
Liar" who "while
servin in the Armed Force
(...) was wounded at the
Battle Of Hastings. That
was back round ten sixrty
six, in the morning".
If you're wise, you'll
quickly get this 10
little nugget of pre-war
inspired music by one of
the most authentic
musician of today.
You'll find it at CW
Stonekibng'smyspace
page.
Fred "Virgil"
Turgis
