Omar & The Howlers – Magic Man
2 CDs, 13 and 8 tracks/53 and 48 minutes respectively
Omar Dykes stopped touring and recording in 2017 due to issues with the use of his arms. He is now returning to the studio and hopefully with tour again. His new album, also released in 2023, is paired up with this live show from Germany in 1989 as their his and the band’s newest albums.
The band for the live show is Omar Dykes on vocals and guitar, John Immon on guitar, Bruce Jones on bass and Gene Brandon on drums. Recorded live at the “Modernes” in Bremen, Germany on February 9, 1989, Dykes and company put on a rocking good time that was captured in this two-CD set. This version of the band was his ensemble for most of that era when they played to packed houses and festivals in Scandinavia and all over Europe. They became the darlings of the music scene across the pond, and did many a tour to the delight of their European fans.
“Wall Of Pride” opens the first CD, first released on an album of the same name. Dyke’s famed vocals that give the listener a feeling it’s Wolfman Jack are gritty and fun and there is equally dirty guitar licks to accompany the vocals. “Don’t Lead Me On” continues the onslaught, more great, driving music about woman problems. Those issues continue with “Loud Mouth Woman,” a nice shuffle that rouses the listener and makes your juices flow. Jimmy Reed’s “Down In Mississippi” is he first cover of the recorded show. Slow, grinding, dirty blues that transition into some major guitar licks and solos. Prime stuff.
“Border Girl” picks things back up, a jumping and rocking cut. “Dancing In The Canebreak” follows, a slower tempo cut that is as close as Dykes gets to a ballad here. More rousing guitar, too. “Modern Man” and “Omar’s Shuffle” are a pair of originals that are fun. A country rocker and instrumental shuffle that are both delights. Then it’s “East Side Blues,” some down and dirty slow blues with a heap of grit and grime to get the listener’s attention.
Little Johnny Jones’ 1954 Atlantic cut “Hoy! Hoy! Hoy!” gets a third Hoy added to the title and get transformed from a bit of a swinging R&B cut to a full out, wild rocking ride at 100 miles an hour! Whew! “Too Much” by Oscar Boyd is up next, another old Jimmy Reed tune. Dykes and company give it a great play. “Dimestore Hoodoo” follows, a fun, rocking cut. They conclude the first CD with Freddie Kings’s “Hide Away,” and Omar and the boys do a fine job with this classic.
“Green River,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s hit gets an even grittier performance than the original as Dykes growls out the lead vocal. Guitars wail as the Howlers do their thing. Dykes’ “Funky Time” is next, a very funky instrumental with lots of guitar licks to savor. The Animals “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” gets turned into an Omar and the Howlers rocking good time. “Bad Seed” and “Rattlesnake Shake” are a couple of slick originals featuring the band doing what they do best- rocking out and keeping the audience on the edges of their seats.
“Hard Times In The Land Of Plenty” is another driving original and it’s followed up by “Magic Man,” another hi energy original cut that Dykes tells the listeners that it takes you to his home in Macoomb, Mississippi. Whether it was the Algiers Marching Band as he claims possible or Bo Diddley, he scratches out a Bo Diddley-styled beat and grunts and growl out the lead vocals for eleven minutes to this tune that the album takes its’ title from. The finale is “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ball,” the 1950’s Jerry McCain cut that Omar revels in as he sings and plays with passion. He and the band get a great groove going and they let I all hang out for over eight and a half minutes.
Omar and the Howlers are a party waiting to happen. High energy, rocking tunes and the signature Dykes growling vocals that he likens to a grizzly bear on steroids are trademarks of the band and something that drew and continues to draw in their fans to listen to their music. This is a great album of a show from 35 years ago that is still sounding as hot and fresh as it did in 1989!
