Omar Dykes Runnin’ With The Wolf

Omar Dykes has been pretty busy with new releases lately and with his band, The Howlers, he has another new release Runnin’ With The Wolf (Provogue Records). As the title suggests, this is a tribute to Howlin’ Wolf. Given Omar’s gravelly, gruff vocals, an album of Wolf songs would seem a natural and Dykes approaches the material not to copy Wolf’s recordings, “but to stay close to the spirit. … I tried to modernize the songs … Why copy something not for note … when it’s already available in the original form. … I wanted to have fun with songs that I’ve loved ever since I was a kid.” 

Those backing Omar on his journey through the Wolf’s music include Derek O’Brien, Casper Rawls, or Eve Monsees on guitar, Ronnie James or Bruce Jones on bass, Wes Starr or Mike Buck on drums, Ted Roddy on harmonica, Nick Connolly on keyboards and Kaz Kazanoff and Lex Ismore on saxophones. Settings range from a trio (as on the tough renditions of Killing Floor, and Little Red Rooster, as well as the rollicking interpretation of Riding in the Moonlight) to a larger band with horns (as on the latin groove of Who’s Been Talkin’, the uptown urban funk groove of Do The Do (admittedly a pretty trite Willie Dixon lyric) and the all night party vibe of Wang Dang Doodle). Even on these sides with a larger band, the backing is supple, never heavy handed.

There are plenty of delights to be savored here including the title track that Omar penned with his imaginative incorporation of titles and phrases from Wolf’s recordings in his lyrics. A particular highlight for these ears is the rendition of Worried All The Time, which comes across as if Hank Williams had recorded a Wolf number. Its hard to find fault with the take on Spoonful, which is structured similarly to Wolf’s original recording and includes some short Sumlin-like guitar accents. In contrast, there is a country boogie guitar line used in the backing for Back Door Man, which is imaginatively reinvented here.

Marvelously played and sung, Runnin’ With the Wolf is a tribute to one of the greatest of all blues artists and another fine release from Omar Dykes.

I received my copy from a publicist for the record label.

Omar and the Howlers Too Much Is Not Enough

Jimmy Reed’s music is deceptively simple to play. With its lazy rhythm, simple boogie bass and mush mouth vocals it would seem so easy to cover and interpret. However, for every Jimmy Witherspoon, with his behind the beat vocals gave a personalized uptown approach, or Swamp blues masters like Lazy Lester, Jimmy Anderson, and Slim Harpo, others (such as Etta James) might handle the songs a bit too heavily. 

This brings us to a new release by Omar and the Howlers on Big Guitar Music, Too Much Is Not Enough. This recording of Reed’s music features the late Gary Primich on harmonica for what was Primich’s last recordings. This recording was recorded prior to Omar’s collaboration with Jimmy Vaughan On the Jimmy Reed Highway. Like that album, this includes a number of special guests including guitarists Derek O’Brien, Gary Clark, Jr., as well as Jay Moeller and Ronnie James. Not having heard the Jimmy Reed Highway, I cannot vouch for the statement that this recording takes a different approach. I can attest that this is a very fine recording of Jimmy Reed songs.

Omar Dykes' hoarse, gravelly vocals would seem more appropriate for the music of Howlin’ Wolf or Captain Beefheart. Importantly, his relaxed delivery simply nails the renditions of Too Much, Honest I Do, I Ain’t Got You, and Shame, Shame, Shame. The backing stands out with Primich shining. There is one non-Reed song included, Dykes’ I Gotta Let You Go. This is a swamp blues that evokes Slim Harpo’s Tee-Nah-Nee, with Gary Clark, Jr. adding slide guitar in the backing. On two selections Clark doubles on harmonica and guitar and if not as accomplished on harmonica as Primich, still acquits himself well.

Fans of Jimmy Reed, as well as of Omar Dykes, will certainly enjoy Too Much Is Not Enough. These are wonderfully paced performances and many ‘blues players’ would do well to see how one can take familiar material and make it sound fresh and vital. This is so good that I will be checking out the Jimmy Reed Highway, and looking forward to Omar Dykes promised future releases that will center on the music of Howlin’ Wolf and Bo Diddley.

I received this from either the label or publicist.  Here is Omar performing at the CD release party for this CD.

Omar and The Howlers Never Gone

Having recently had the pleasure to consider the excellent overview of the past two decades of Omar and the Howlers Essential Collection on Ruf, I received recently the latest Omar and the Howlers recording I’m Gone (Big Guitar Music). Its a session that has him joined by guitarists Casper Rawls and Derek O’Brien; bassists Ronnie James and Bruce Jones; and drummers Mike Buck and Wes Starr for a rocking collection opf rockabilly and blues.

It starts with the title track, a hot rockabilly stomp that evokes the classic Sun sound and with a forceful, gravelly vocal. All About the Money, is a lazy blues shuffle with a relaxed vocal, some nicely articulated guitar and a nice relaxed pace. Drunkard’s Paradise is a country number about drinking in the darkness with some chicken scratching guitar and steel guitar. Bo Diddley was an inspiration for Omar and Wild and Free, which uses the “Bo Diddley beat” and he employs judicious use of tremolo on it, followed by the driving Dust My Broom groove of Down At The Station.

Lone Star Blues is an atmospheric , straight-ahead blues instrumental which like this recording benefits from the economical backing and playing that benefits as much by what is not played as what is played. The ensuing track, Omar’s Boogie is a solid country-rockabilly instrumental with plenty of twang and followed by the slow Goin’ Back to Texas, which has a swamp blues flavor; a nice, gritty vocal and Casper Rawls’ guitar solo which takes some unexpected twists. Let Me Hold You is a swamp-pop styled ballad followed by a easy rocker, Move Up To Memphis, and then a solid cover of John Lee Hooker’s brooding I’m Mad Again. The booklet misidentifies the track penned by Hooker and it is I’m Mad Again, the 11th track, not the 10th track as stated there.

The closing track is another rockabilly groover, Take Me Back which uses Scotty Moore’s guitar riff from Elvis Presley’s rendition of Mystery Train. Its a lively track, solidly sung by Omar with his gravelly approach. It caps another solid and recommended recording from Omar Dykes.

My review copy was provided by a publicist. Here is some Omar and the Howlers to enjoy.

Omar and the Howlers Essential Collection

Ruf Records has just issued a double CD set by Omar and the Howlers, Essential Collection. This is a career and label spanning compilation that covers the two or so decades of the recording career of Omar Dykes. The first of the two discs was compiled by Ruf while Omar himself selected the second of the two discs, producing over two hours of some choice music. He also proves some commentary on the songs he selected.

It has been easy to take Omar and the Howlers for granted, but from the opening moments of Magic Man, with its Bo Diddley groove, and dedicated to Omar’s fellow McComb, Mississippi native, through the acoustic rendering of Built For Comfort, with Magic Slim that closes the second disc, one is constantly impressed by Omar’s presence as a vocalist as well as his gritty blues guitar playing. His hoarse, husky vocals might be likened to that of Howlin’ Wolf although he is not one to try to imitate Wolf. At the same time his mix of string bending, single note runs and hard chords consistently stand out. Its also nice how he and the band can lay down a hot, rocking groove but not try to overwhelm us. Omar recognizes and makes use of the space between the notes played, letting the silence speak at times.

Certainly there is a rock flavor on much of this such as the kick-ass shuffle like Border Girl, but his rocking songs has his feet still planted in the blues. Hard Times in the Land of Plenty is a driving rocker with his message about some doing real well while others on the welfare line. The consistency over the thirty performances standout, as these recordings include some from his outstanding collaboration with jimmy Vaughan Jimmy Reed Highway, or his relaxed, expressive delivery of Oscar Brown’s lyrics to Nat Adderly’s Work Song, with David ‘Fathead’ Newman on saxophone. The latter number not only had him with one of his musical heroes but displayed his musical range as the tenor of his vocal is much different than Omar’s outrageous reworking of the Leiber-Stoller Alligator Wine which is a fine cover from the Screaming Jay Hawkins school book with some nice guitar as well along with some controlled frenzy. Then there is another rocker with the driving Bo Diddley beat, Do It For Daddy.

I have not listened to the entire body of recordings by Omar and the Howlers, and there may be some lesser songs he has recorded over the years. However, nothing on Essential Collection is less than first-rate making for an exceptional career retrospective and harbinger hopefully of much more of the same in the future.

I received my review copy from a publicist for the release. Here is an actual video for Hard Times in the Land of Plenty.