The Wacky Jugs - Wired, Wild And Wicked (2020)

Imagined ten years ago in order to pay tribute to the jug bands of the 30s in general and more particularly to the Memphis Jug Band, The Wacky Jugs is originally a trio which cultivates with some talent the sound of the Sleepy John Estes and other bluesmen of yesteryear with strong harmonicas, mandolins and other double basses which bring to the combo a very particular color. Accustomed to regional but also national scenes, these Bretons proudly defend an old school blues full of flavor and openly claim a style that is somewhat off the beaten track, and yet. To celebrate a decade of existence and sharing decently, the trio decided to transform themselves into a quintet and to continue to offer a rural blues borrowed from the masters of the genre with songs that they have played since their first lovemaking of course, but also with others, as many titles as The Wacky Jugs had never taken the time to immortalize on a vinyl, an error now repaired. Next to Jack Titley on vocals and guitars, Gurvan Leray on harmonicas and Jonathan Caserta on double bass are now in a hurry Joseph Detailleur on accordion and Rowen Berrou on percussion and it is a very sensitive music that escapes from this extraordinary meeting, music made of classics drawn from Leadbelly, Sonny Boy Williamson, Gus Cannon, Skip James and other Memphis Jug Band or Sleepy John Estes but revisited in spicy sauce with a big dose of jive and zydeco, music from Louisiana which superbly brings a large dose of exoticism to a genre which, if it were content with accents of Chicago or even the Delta, would quickly become boring. We will enjoy the "True Religion", "Cypress Groove Blues", "Good Morning Little School Girl", "Diving Duck Blues" and other "Big Road Blues" offered in very beautiful and very original way on both sides of a book whose release was postponed to June, confinement requires ... "Wired, Wild And Wicked" has not finished delighting fans of roots blues and energetic! ~Fred Delforge