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Posted: May 28, 2008
by: Shannon Burns / Indian Country Today
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'Deep Downtown,' by Jimmy Wolf
Fans of Mohawk guitarist Jimmy Wolf will feel right at home with his latest CD, ''Deep Downtown.'' Singing and playing guitar in his signature rock/blues manner, Wolf has created yet another CD that fans can dance, sing and rock to.
The sounds of ''Deep Downtown'' songs are clearly of an early rock influence with a soulful touch. The hypnotic rhythm of Wolf's skilled guitar playing combined with his expressive voice are reminiscent of the early '70s rock era, although he brings a bit of upbeat optimism to his tune and lyrics.
The opening track, titled ''Deep Downtown,'' is catchy and fun as Wolf sings for everybody to ''scream and shout.'' His American Indian upbringing shines in this song as the mood it creates is like that of an Indian reservation summer party.
A few songs, like ''East McLemore'' and ''Uzi Suzi,'' bring out Wolf's sensational guitar skills and the James Cloyd's talent on bass. Listeners will become enthralled as the sound takes over and the band's energy is emitted.
Wolf's passionate singing and guitar playing transfers over to his songwriting ability. He wrote 10 of the 11 songs on ''Deep Downtown.'' Jackie and Tyree Neal wrote ''Life,'' which has just a slightly different sound to it and listeners might sense a pow wow influence to the beat of the song and humming of Wolf's voice.
One song on the album that stands apart from the rest is ''Full Stack Attack.'' Without lyrics, the tune is a blend of musical sounds that give the listener a chance to sit back and absorb what the musical artists are saying through their instruments. Even without words, the song is passionate.
Most of the songs on ''Deep Downtown'' are danceable and might be just what an audience is looking for when they want entertainment. It would be hard to stay in your seat while Wolf is rocking on stage.
Along with Cloyd, Wolf shares the album's credits with drummer Lafrae Sci.
Wolf's musical talents have earned him a successful career already, one that has sent him traveling around the country and playing at such high-profile venues as the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.
In both 1999 and 2000, Wolf received nominations for Best Blues Album at the Native American Music Awards. Although he walked away without winning the awards, the nominations gave him exposure and a solid place in an industry of Native artists.
Wolf isn't going anywhere anytime soon. With years under his music belt already, he keeps the albums coming and his fan base growing. ''Deep Downtown'' is sure to secure his future. His previously released albums are ''Raw Blues,'' ''Jimmy Wolf,'' ''Mohawk Stomp,'' ''Grits and Soul'' and ''Self-Destruction Live.''
Wolf has been sculpted by the sounds of bands like Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival, but his albums have a tune that is unique to him and clearly of a down-to-earth foundation.
Settled in Rome, N.Y., Wolf is situated in a place perfect to develop his rock/soul/blues sound while having access to big and small venues. It's also the perfect place for him to be able to reach out to American Indian listeners, with tribes and reservations all around.
''Deep Downtown'' was produced by Wolf at Gecko Recording Studio in Clinton, N.Y. It is distributed by indie label Red Reverend Records. To learn more about the artist, visit www.myspace.com/jimmywolf.
Jimmy Wolf is a singer-songwriter-guitarist who is bringing a new and exciting energy to the world of Blues and Rock.He takes the delta-chicago blues,50's rock and soul;mixes them with his chainsaw guitar and overdriven voice to create catchy,raunchy rock-n-roll songs to be played at maximum volume. Jimmy is a Turtle clan Mohawk from upstate new york.Twice nominated for best blues releases at the 1999 and 2000 native american music awards.Jimmy has recorded 6 cd's."RAW BLUES","JIMMY WOLF","MOHAWK STOMP","GRITS AND SOUL" , "SELF-DESTRUCTION LIVE!" and the new release "DEEP DOWNTOWN".
Hey Jim ... the Murph's gig coulda went smoother turned into a pretty cool jam session between alotta old friends though thanx so much for your kind Komments about my piano pickin' Just gettin back into that vibe on the keys Glad ya dug it
No I am not always the wild and crazy drummerboy ... in fact as years go by I am leaning more and more towards my piano (instead of leaning on it) take a listen to what I am up to practicing away by candlelight in the dark of the night around 3 AM
Hope you dig it Please leave me a comment and let me know what ya think ??? ... this direction is a work in progress and feedback is much appreciated
