Mick Pini – Papa Voodoo
Audio 54 Records
14 Tracks – 61 minutes
Looking at the cover and title, you might immediately think you are going to hear the latest release from a New Orleans or Delta musician. Not so! Mick Pini was born in Leicester, England and now lives in Germany. Mick has a strong following and success in Europe. He has toured the world for almost six decades including a European tour with B.B. King and supporting other blues greats such as Buddy Guy, Freddie King, and Jimmy Rogers. In 1996, Eric Clapton described him as “the legitimate successor to Peter Green”. This is Mick’s 26th album release.
Mick has previously collaborated with Audio 54, which is as you might expect is a studio. They previously released the albums Back Track and more recently Way Ahead in 2022. The latter was followed with two 4-song EP’s, Pastoral and Are You Blind. But Audio 54 is actually Craig Marshall, a fellow Leicester musician who gained recognition in the world of digital technology as an innovative music producer. On this album, Mick provides vocals for some tracks and all guitar and Craig, with a few exceptions, provides programming, keyboards, drums, percussion, bass, and horn arrangements.
The fourteen original tracks open with “Duck Soup” a jazzy fusion instrumental that sounds like something Jeff Beck might have performed. The title song does deliver the New Orleans vibe implied by the cover. Mick’s vocals are a smooth growl that reminds of Tom Waits. The song clearly definitely has the smell of the swamp with maybe a taste of Dr. John thrown in. “Funky Delikattessan” is as exactly described, a total blast of funk as he says, “You love the taste, you love the smell. You love the bass, funky as hell”. Nick Murphy guests on this track and plays all the backing instruments.
“Morning Crescent ’69” is another soft jazz blues instrumental with some strong keyboard and trumpet accompaniment. Mick’s proficiency on the guitar is certainly clearly demonstrated. On “Got to Get My Way Home”, Mick’s vocals are somewhat subdued as he sings ” I ain’t got a nickel, I ain’t got a dime” as he struggles to find a way home. Marshal Mytha III provides the vocals on “Spark” as Mick and Craig provide a supporting Latin rhythm.
Another instrumental, “Make It Last” kicks up the funk again with a keyboard feel of Stevie Wonder and Mick’s guitar raging in and out of the song. Mick plays an instrumental tribute to his guitar hero on “Blues for Peter Green”. “A Cold Day in Memphis” is pure blues with Greg Wittner guesting on piano and Hammond and Mick telling a tale of lost love as “the rain is falling down, and my woman cannot be found”.
Mick says the blues “Never Goes Away” in a song with a more aggressive blues rock tone and notes “someday you just will have to pay”. “Theme From Icarus” is an instrumental that Mick originally performed thirty years ago, and thought might be picked up for a movie soundtrack. “Yo Yo Love” expresses the up and down emotions that occurs in a love affair.
“Memphis Jazztronica” again features the pulsating guitar and a more electronic accompaniment in an alternate version of “A Cold Day in Memphis”. The album concludes with a wailing, reggae rhythm in “Yu No Betta” with Nick Murphy providing vocals, percussion and keyboards.
While there are several vocal tracks on the album, much of the vocals are buried behind the instruments making them secondary to the music itself and sometimes almost inconsequential to the overall sound. This is just an observation, not a criticism. Mick’s guitar work is the high point of the album with Craig’s instrumental backing sometimes overwhelming, but almost always interesting. I would not classify much of the music as blues, although there are certainly a few blues songs mixed in and there are blues element in some of the more jazz related cuts. The album is ultimately an enjoyable listen crossing many genres with an approach driving the music into the future.
