Alex Jenkins and the Bombers – Voodoo You
Self-Produced
http://www.alexjenkinsandthebombers.com
CD: 10 songs; 53:40 Minutes
Styles: Contemporary Electric Blues and Blues Rock
“Got the blues so bad; I know what I’ll do. Got an empty whiskey bottle; I’ve got a mojo too, a black cat bone and a piece of your hair. Mix it all together – girl, you better beware. I’m gonna ‘Voodoo You!’” Such is the occult warning of Danville, IL’s Alex Jenkins and the Bombers, on their spicy second album. Their ‘spell’ mostly consists of great guitar, but their songwriting skills aren’t bad either. According to their website, “If you had to label this band, the best way to describe their music is that it has elements of R&B, blues, jazz, rockabilly, roots and Americana with having an uptown, Westside Chicago sound”. That’s quite a mouthful, possibly making purists choke. However, there are enough traditional tracks on this CD to satisfy their hunger (see below). All three “Bombers” perform vocals, with Alex on guitar, his brother Tim Jenkins on drums, and Mike Crisp on bass. Every one of the numbers they present is original, even though one of the titles (“I Wanna Big Legged Woman”) might fool listeners into thinking it’s a cover. The following three tunes will please genre die-hards the most:
Track 02: “My Babe Hates All the Things I Do” – People change, as this Chicago stomp proves, and sometimes not for the better: “She told me back when we first met, ‘Hey, baby, don’t you change a thing.’ Times got bad, and I got sad ever since she got that ring.” Mostly, what our narrator’s lover abhors are the various aspects of his playing the blues – “the bars” and “a rowdy crowd.” This is a great song for a divorce, breakup, or engagement’s end.
Track 04: “Don’t You Think I Earned the Right” – Most, if not all, musicians dream of ‘living the dream’ and playing professionally sans a day job. Nevertheless, life on the road is no picnic: “Forty years of motels and one-night stands, playing ’til the blood was dripping from my hands. Hurting from my head to the bottom of my shoes – don’t you think I’ve earned the right to play the blues?” Mike Crisp’s irresistible bassline is the highlight of this surefire blues-rock hit.
Track 06: “I Wanna Big Legged Woman” – The trope in acoustic number six is as familiar as selling one’s soul to the Devil or being hurt by a cheating significant other. With that said, there’s a good reason why clichés like these have stuck around for so long: “I like a big-legged woman that wear her heels up high (you know, wearing them spiked-heeled shoes.) I like a big-legged woman that wear hear heels up high (wearing them black pantyhose with the LINES up the back)…” Lust is a universal feeling, and one can’t get more ‘bluesy’ than singing about it.
Relax and let Alex Jenkins and the Bombers “Voodoo You”!
