Mojo Buford - Home Is Where My Harps Is (1998)

No, that's not a typo in the title. Those with personal knowledge of former Muddy Waters sideman Mojo Buford will tell you that this was a perfectly fitting title for his third Blue Loon release. All tunes were recorded at New Moon Studio in Mpls., half with The Senders and half with harp player Curtis Blake, several members of the Rough Cuts, and piano man Mike "Hook" Deutsch - all from Minneapolis. Buford wrote all but two of the thirteen songs, from the Hooker-influenced opener, "Mo's Boogie", to the swingin' "Harp Breaker". The lyrics are classic Mojo, enough to crack up anyone who's listened to their share of ol' time style blues vocals. In the fifth track, he sings "You can steal my chickens, but you sho can't make 'em lay; you can steal my woman, but you sure can't make her stay." Or how about this one: "We gonna boogie 'til my hair turn wet." (That's not a typo either). Mojo's harp sounds particularly sweet and catchy when paired with Curtis Blake's. Dave "Cool Breeze" Brown does a sweet, T-Bone style guitar solo on "Cool & Mo Better Blues", Mark Asche is wonderful throughout on piano, and Bill Black lays down a very funky bass solo on "I Want You To Be My Girl". It is the tracks with Blake and the Roughcuts that stand out, however. Blake's engaging harp lines actually bring to mind a visual of squawking, pecking chickens on "You Can Steal My Chicken". Dan Schwalbe's guitar playing is mighty tasty on all tracks, but is especially ear-catching on "Memphis Bound".