Australian Bluesman C.W. Stoneking to Release New Album
James G. Carlson
Posted On May 2, 2016
Six years after his much-praised Jungle Blues album, Australian bluesman C.W. Stoneking is finally preparing for the official release of his third studio album, Gon’ Boogaloo. Scheduled for a June 3rd, 2016 release on Stoneking’s own King Hokum Records, Gon’ Boogaloo is somewhat of a deviation from the sound that fans came to know from his former releases. Not to worry, though, this album is still unmistakably C.W. Stoneking, with his distinctive vocals and unique music style, but instead of the undeniably organic instrumentation he favored in past years, like acoustic guitar and banjo, he has plugged in with an electric Fender six-string. Even though this record has an electric component, it is still very much the blues, and more.
Though inspired heavily by Delta blues, old-timey gospel, ragtime, and a number of other styles, C.W. Stoneking does not attempt to duplicate the music of old that he has come to appreciate so much over the years; rather, he provides his own take on them, and has a natural signature sound that is as timeless as it is enjoyable. And this sound is complemented well by the way in which it was recorded. According to Stoneking, the Gon’ Boogaloo recordings were done live over two days, without all of the hi-tech, fancy studio gadgetry that is more often than not used today. A select handful of guest musicians and singers that took part in this process, providing upright and electric bass, various percussion, and plenty of backing vocals.
While all twelve songs on Gon’ Boogaloo are exceedingly good, the ones that truly standout are the following: “The Zombie,” “The Thing I Done,” “Mama Got the Blues,” “Goin’ Back South,” and “We Gon’ Boogaloo.” Check out the attached video of C.W. Stoneking performing “The Zombie” live to get an idea of what the new material is like.
All of C.W. Stoneking’s albums to date have been masterpieces in their own right, and Gon’ Boogaloo is no exception.
Gon’ Boogaloo is available for pre-order at C.W. Stoneking’s webstore in both CD and vinyl formats, and at his Bandcamp page as a digital download option.
