Foghat's sound has come a long way since the “Slow Ride” days, as you'd expect from a band that's been around since the 70s. The band now gravitate towards a bluesy sound, which isn't surprising since Foghat formed when three original members left blues rock outfit Savoy Brown. Founding member and drummer Roger Earl now leads the band accompanied by guitarist Bryan Bassett, vocalist Scott Holt and bassist Rodney O'Quinn. The songs are a mix of originals and covers and in a very nice tribute, three of the songs were co-written by the band and Kim Simmonds, the late founder of Savoy Brown who had remained friends with the band for decades. Sonic Mojo opens with one of Simmonds' numbers, an uptempo blues rocker with a catchy chorus hook called “She's a Little Bit of Everything.” The song has a vibe that will be familiar to fans of early Foghat, Savoy Brown and other 1970s blues rock acts. Simmonds' other co-writes include “Drivin' On,” a ZZ-top number that shows love for John Lee Hooker and “Time Slips Away,” a mid-tempo, almost Southern rock groove that lyrically is a facet of mortality. (Simmonds had terminal colon cancer while writing the song) with sweet slide guitar from Bassett enhancing the melancholy. Other covers include a rousing rendition of Willie Dixon's “Let Me Love You Baby,” a rendition of Chester Burnett's “How Many More Years” that sounds a bit like the way Pat Travers or Robin Trower might do the song , and in an amazing selection , Rodney Crowell's “Song for the Life” which works very well here. There is also a BB King cut. Holt is clearly having a ball singing “She's Dynamite,” a cut about a woman with “a pearl gun and a razor too.” Holt shows another side on “Wish I'd Been There,” putting aside the bluesy vocal gruffness as he sings about the days when Hank Williams was the hottest thing. The album ends with one final cover, a take on Chuck Berry's “Promised Land” where the guys replace the boogie of the original with a real swinging groove. Sonic Mojo is a hearty set from this long-running and beloved band.
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