Despite our recent makeover, W&H still doesn't have a category called "Swaggerin' Southern-Fried Boogie" to choose from in the drop down genre menu. In a year when reviews from the likes of Jason Ringenberg, Warner.E. Hodges and The Georgia Satellites' Dan Baird have been flying up, this is beginning to feel like a glaring omission. Especially when yet another buncha Good Ol' Southern boys are again heading our way courtesy of THE MOJO GURUS.
Consequently, when I tell you that t'Gurus hail from the Tampa Bay area of Florida and that their album was mastered by Stephen Marsh (Muddy Waters, Jeff Beck) then you're probably gonna think Ronnie Van Zant rather than Ralf Hutter, right? Well, guilty as charged, cuz there ain't no motorik Krautrock drones here, Bub, simply thirteen tracks stuffed with Stones-y swagger, Keef-spars-with-Gary Rossington riffing and all-round, well-juiced roadhouse rowdiness.
And these here Gurus sure ain't short on either confidence or energy. Led by sozzled-but- charismatic singer/ songwriter Kevin Steele, they have a tough and sinewy rhythm section in Vinnie Granese (bass) and drummer Mark Busto, while in the splendidly-named Doc Lovett they have another mean, Telecaster-wieldin' honcho who frames Steele's songs with verve and panache.
Thus, much of 'Let's Get Lit...' rocks with pride and abandon. Songs like 'I Can't Stand To Hear That Song Again', 'Bucket o' Blood' and '(Just A)Couple of Kicks' are chewy, arena-friendly anthems with enough unreconstructed raunch to avoid sounding like they've come off a production line, while the ghost of Ian Stewart hovers over the unashamed boogie-woogie of 'You Didn't Have to Do Me (Like That)' and Lovett's (almost) angular riffing on the Blues-Rockin' 'Price I Pay' transforms 'em into a kind of Southern Gothic version of Cream if you cock your snook at the right angle.
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Although it's always keen to get its' rocks off, The Gurus' desire to chase both booze and old-fashioned Country is equally strong. Tracks like 'Better of The Bottle' and the title track don't so much get a sniff of the barmaid's apron, but immerse themselves in industrial-sized Sour Mash tuns, while the Gospel-tinged 'Words From An Angel' is wasted, but glorious folk-blues a la 'Country Honk', even down to the spirited, Byron Berline-style fiddle and swaying dobro.
Funnily enough, though, this writer's favourite track is the one stylistic diversion here. 'Stingray' has a real cool B-Movie appeal with its' driving, Link Wray/ Ventures guitar figures and church-y, Doors-style organ and it's the one time where The Mojo Gurus' surprise Surf fixation surfaces. Let's hope it won't be the last, neither.
Deciding where you stand on a band like The Mojo Gurus is a no-brainer. Y'all either enjoy this fun-packed, sizzlin' Southern Boogie or you don't. Although this writer's hardly liable to chuck his lot in and move down to sweet home Alabamy, he enjoys this stuff if it's done well. And yeah, The Mojo Gurus do it right. Praise The Lord and pass the Southern Comfort.
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