A stylistically varied album, incorporating primarily blues, but also rhythm and blues, gospel and jazz to paint a picture of one man's life in America in the first decade of the 21st century.

11 MP3 Songs in this album (52:51) !
Related styles: Blues: West Coast Blues, Type: Political

People who are interested in Dr John John Hiatt Robert Cray should consider this download.


Details:
HiFi MoJoâs âAre You In, Kid?â is the brainchild of veteran Portland bluesman Marty Henninger. Started as a project to show his kids a person can make and sell their own music without having to be a star, the music took a semi-autobiographical view of his experiences in the last decade. By turns serious and humorous, he delved into blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and gospel to write a collection of songs that described life in middle America in the first decade of the 21st century. From the anger in âSmoke and Mirrorsâ and âTwo Paychecks from the Streetâ, the humor in âLost your Placeâ or the poignancy of âHunker Down âor âLast Time I Saw Philâ, HiFi MoJo mixes the rich soil of black American music to reflect on a middle class slowly being destroyed by greed and stupidity. As Marty himself said, âThis is about most peoplesâ life in America now. Weâre in a poker game playing against a house full of wealth and power, but who deals from a stacked deck. And weâre playing for our way of life.â The stakes couldnât be higher. Are you in, kid?

The Songs

Smoke and Mirrors: : An update of a field holler about the present problems; Acapella vocals replete with symphony of shovels, hammers and crowbars. Recorded and mixed by Shins engineer Sean Flora

Refuge in the Blues: A broken relationship to the soundtrack of old scratchy Chess sides. Lead guitar solos by the fiery and nearly indestructible, Jim Mesi.

Walkin' into Wheeler: Love and happiness to a jumpinâ New Orleans 2-beat parade shuffle. Portlandâborn slide guitarist Gaddis Cavenah shows his quality. Ehhxcellent!

Hunker Down: A moody rumination on the 2004 presidential election, but whose words also echo the desolation after hurricane Katrina one year later. The rain never stops. More atmospherics by Sean Flora. Great slide work by guitarist Gaddis Cavenah.

Barcode: Second-line funk and horns propel a bouncy little tune about the coming "mark of the beast." The legendary Fats Dominoâs tenor saxophone player Reggie Houston turns in a couple of beautiful solos.

Wind Turns Blue: A bluesy ballad with piano by engineer Ron Rogers that sounds like Floyd Cramer strained through a Professor Longhair blender. Harp by Ron's next door neighbor, Claes Amroth. The theme is tried and true blues. Somtimes guys can't do nothin' right. My wife should know.

Lost Your Place: A steamy Slim Harpo-like swamper about love lost and found again. Sometimes living in a small town has its advantages. More funky harp by Claes (pronounced Klaus)

Nowhere to Go: A late night jazz-tinged blues about those years when everything seems to go wrong. In this case, 2001 sucked. Ditto 2002. Smoky, Hammond B-3 arrangement by Ben Partain. Reggie Houston lights it up again on tenor.

Two Paychecks From the Street: A heartfelt minor blues about the slow collapse of the American Dream as told to me by the people who lived it, while I was doing a crappy little collections job for a mega-bank. Gaddis on slide and Ben Partain on B-3 burn it to the ground.

Last Time I Saw Phil: A gospel-flavored farewell to a much-loved friend and fellow traveler, Phil Haxton. I wrote this the night before his memorial service. Recorded mostly live in Gaddisâ basement, the first song HiFi MoJo ever recorded. Ben plays the B-3 and kicks bass, while Gaddis plays some sweet slide.

Smokin': A big, wide, uptown shuffle about...well, you'll figure it out. Horns by Peter Moss and Steve Cameron. Horn arrangement by Peter Moss