If you think it’s been a while since you’ve seen a Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys full-length studio recording, you’re probably right. It’s been at least a minute or two, maybe harking all the way back to 2016’s Never Trust the Living, barring limited-run tour CDs. It turns out that Elmore James For President was another one of those pandemic causalities, released only in Europe in 2021 but never stateside due to the lack of an interested label. But the old adage “if you want something done right, do it yourself” certainly fits here. After all this time, Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys released Elmore itself, and it would have been a federal crime if that didn’t happen.
It’s really that good. Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys recorded Elmore live, with Mastro’s cutting harp playing and two guitarists, Smokehouse Brown (a.k.a. Smoke) handling every blazing lead, and John Fohl anchoring the “bottom.” Drummer Jimmy Goodall hits it hard and loves to crash the cymbals. Interestingly, no bassist was used for this recording.
With the title’s nod to Chicago blues legend Elmore James and only three covers from Hound Dog Taylor, Sonny Boy Williamson and Lazy Lester, Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys keeps one foot firmly planted in traditional blues. Its other foot never steps out of its individuality, especially with 11 originals, nearly all previously unreleased. Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys keeps it raw, loose, crunchy, buzzy and sometimes even fuzzy. Many tunes wend their way into an unwavering groove, like “Wildman Call,” where soon you find yourself dancing and bopping along uncontrollably. Mastro kicks it off on a low-tuned diatonic harp and sings before Smoke ignites one of his many torching solos.
“Last Dance In Memphis” is slower, sludgier, and tremolo-quaking; The blustery “The Bottle Won’t Save You” practically spins out of control, bonused with Mastro’s unexpected chromatic runs towards the end. “Max’s Blues” is simply superb with all its competing heavy, mind-numbing textures.
Even though the title was suggested by Belgian DJ Dr. Boogie, the Elmore James connection fits, too, given James’s and Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys predilection for loud, crackling amplification. It may be Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys twisted take on classic blues, but it’s done with a sneering rock ’n’ roll swagger. To these ears, Mastro’s vocals feel rebellious, and the proceedings consistently fuse energy into work-weary souls.
If Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys were to have a third foot, it’d be bedrocked in New Orleans, where SoCal transplants Mastro and Smoke have taken refuge for the past dozen years. There’s material that reflects its beloved community too, such as the amped-up “Like Marie Laveau” and the crazy, searing “Rampart Street,” where the protagonist scours a chaotic Mardi Gras scene for some elusive, masked chick. There’s even a tune titled “Little Freddie Is King” that’s imaginably patterned off something the venerable octogenarian bluesman would play. The only line in the song is the title catchphrase that Mastro shouts out at certain times when the group pauses from all the buzzing, throw-down cacophony. Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys may vote for James for president and bow to its King, but the group is more than just grizzled Frenchmen Street warriors. Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys is a fine representative of the blues.
