Mountain View Gospel Blues – Standin’ at the Door
Don Hoffman – 2024
https://soundcloud.com/hoffman50287
9 tracks; 50 minutes
Ever since the quiet reception of Mountain View Gospel Blues’ 2024 release, Standin’ at the Door, the creative force behind the band, Don Hoffman has wondered if he has alienated two distinct audiences. Reflecting on the minimal airplay compared to past blues albums, Hoffman said “I don’t know if blues enthusiasts are passing because of the ‘Gospel’ message in the music, if the Christian music community is passing because it’s blues or what the problem is. The music’s good. That’s all I know.”
Standin’ at the Door offers fiery electric blues, infused with the gospel and passion. Hoffman wrote the majority of the songs in the early 1990’s, with a blues rock trio in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. At the time Hoffman recorded the music on primitive equipment, hardly sufficient for demo purposes.
In 2020, to fulfill his longtime goal of creating high-quality recordings of the music, Hoffman recruited two longtime friends, Pat Allen on drums, and Doug Brown on Bass guitar, as well an 18-year-old blues harp prodigy he found on Craigslist, Jackson Baker. Due to Covid and an unexpected hurricane that flooded the recording studio, Sonlight Productions, it took the group 4 years to produce the album.
Aside from the gospel lyrics and traditional hymns, the record sounds like a traditional blues album, in the style of the electric Chicago Blues. A dialed-in rhythm section pounds away, supporting mean, sliding harmonica, and howling guitar solos.
On the opening track, “Somebody Prayed for Me”, steady tasteful guitar starts out as Hoffman sings, with soulful, smoky vocals, “Well I was walking down a rocky road. You were there. You saw me falling and you prayed for me.” Allen provides a solid, driving rhythm, complimenting the skillful guitar solos on the slow rocker.
“Wise Man” kicks off with strong, heavy drums, quickly followed by sliding harmonica and an irresistible funky beat. In the off-kilter rhythm, several layers of instruments work in harmony. While powerful, the Little Walter-inspired harmonica solo may go on a bit too long.
The album’s titular track, “Standin’ at the Door”, comes across as a bluesier “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones. The track opens with a verse from Revelation 3:20, about welcoming Jesus into your heart, but the music has a boogie-woogie flavor. Hoffman meanders through scales with smooth guitar playing, but the track has a start-stop, syncopated style. Stealing the show, Baker on the blues harp wildly howls, like a bad case of the blues and a man in need of shelter. Hoffman sings “It’s getting kind of bad… let me in.”
Stirring, deep blues guitar notes ring out on the first notes of “People Try”, a song about the human condition and the fall from Eden. Blistering blasts of harmonica compliment the slow tides of guitar, with lyrics highlighting the strive for righteousness and the fall into darkness. Hoffman sings “What good’s it gonna do man? He’s got the whole world, but he’s losing his soul.” Ultimately, Hoffman writes about the value of the soul and the misplaced focus on riches.
“Goin’ Down to Calvary” features slow, simmering guitar, and lingering, sweet harmonica; somehow, a certain melancholy passion is conveyed. In one of the best tracks on the LP, Hoffman sings in a deep, almost growling voice “I’ve been kicked out of the garden Cut off from that tree of life.” The lyrics tell a tale of redemption and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Although a tad preachy, the lyrics on “Red Wine”, a tune about the downward spiral of alcoholism, are simple and effective. Soulful guitar solos are clean, precise, and yet highly emotional. A chilling guitar progression in the middle precedes Hoffman crying out “Keep reaching for your bottle. Lord knows I’d have quit you if I could.” Here, and throughout the album, the band carries a positive, hopeful Christian message; at the end, Hoffman sings “We put the cork back in the bottle. His saving grace was the reason why.”
The up-tempo blues rock tune, “Eternal Flame”, brashly explodes in too many directions, with self-indulgent guitar solos.
Mountain View Gospel Blues’s cover of “Jesus Gonna Make it Alright” is an ethereal, dreamy (almost pop rock) take, with no gumption or bite. Although a weak song, it is somewhat redeemed at the end, as Hoffman belts out “Jesus gonna make it alright”, clearly pouring his soul into it with the voice of a true believer.
On “Jesus Loves Me”, lyrics like “Jesus loves me, for the bible tells me so” come across as slightly corny and preachy, but Hoffman shows off impressive guitar solos. The track lacks some of the authentic blues infused throughout the rest of the album.
Standin’ at the Door, on the whole, offers solid musicianship, good, Chicago-inspired blues, and a Gospel message. The album has something to offer for fans of the blues, regardless of where they may be on their spiritual journey, or if they believe in spiritual matters at all.
