I have to provide a disclosure at the commencement of this review. I’ve played with Mad Dog, at each other’s kitchen tables and on stage. We’ve also had some pretty public disagreements, and I’ve been unabashedly critical of his unnecessarily loud playing on more than one occasion. That being the case, I was somewhat surprised that his agent sent me a copy of his latest release, Mad Dog Blues, to review. I was more surprised, pleasantly, at the quality of this combination of originals and covers of Blues standards. John “ Mad Dog” Marino, if you aren’t familiar with the man or his style, is a slide guitarist and harmonica player who’s hailed from Saranac Lake, NY for the past 35 years. An artisan leather worker, a purveyor of fine Balsam teepee poles and scrap metal, Marino cut his musical teeth around the campfires at Mountain Men Rendezvous. This CD is a reverential, perhaps even tender treatment of the Blues and is dedicated to “all of the great bluesmen who came before me.” John’s presentation is simple; the guitar, the harmonica, and his voice. It’s a “must have” for all fans of the resonator/slide guitar blues, and serves as a worthy introduction to those not familiar with the style.
Kicking off on harp, Marino dives into Elias McDaniel’s Before You Accuse Me. An original tune, Arizona, comes next. It fits the mold. Howlin’ Wolf’s classic Smokestack Lightning is milked for all its worth.
Another couple of Mad Dog penned tunes, Johnson Girls and Swinging The Blues melt together, and who says the Blues can’t be fun? I defy you to sit still listening to them. I couldn’t. Marino uses only open tunings for his slide work, mostly G and E. His mastery of both right hand picking and left handed slide techniques is apparent throughout the album. He gets a whole variety of sounds and moods out of the music. The mournful Help Me comes next.
Track number seven is a slow variation on Sam Cooke’s Red Rooster. Wonderful harp on this one. Smooth and easy to listen to. Next up is Robert Johnson’s Walking Blues. You get the feeling Mr. Marino has been to the crossroads himself. He then pays fitting tribute to Muddy Waters with Got My Mojo Working, and it really does work on the listener, especially when the pace picks up with the harmonica lead.
Mad Dog takes another trip back to the Gunther Hotel with Come Into My Kitchen and he begins to stretch his voice out on this Johnson standard. The CD culminates with one more Robert Johnson number, If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day. Mean, lowdown, ornery, bordering on savage, this is Mad Dog Marino.
Steve “Old Son” McCauly’s recording is clear, very well balanced and tastefully done. Mastering was done by David Patterson II at Prava Creative Studios. I thoroughly enjoyed this CD, and look forward to listening to it again and again.
