The Honey Island Swamp Band is named after a Louisiana marshland and claim New Orleans as their home, but the skilled five piece pays homage to all the great sounds from southern states. Formed by Aaron Wilkinson (vocals, mandolin, guitar, and harmonica) and Chris Mulé (vocals, guitar) in San Francisco after the devastation of hurricane Katrina, along with fellow expatriate evacuees Sam Price (bass, vocals) and Garland Paul (drums, vocals). The group landed a house gig at John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom Room on Fillmore Street where they must have honed their all encompassing sound of blues, roots, country and soul that has been described as “Bayou Americana.” Their third album Sugar Cane is their first nationally-distributed studio recording, and was produced and recorded by Grammy-winning producer John Porter.
The twelve song collection begins by referencing the Muscle Shoals sound on the opening track “Change My Ways,” injecting a funky groove with hot horns and soulful vocals. Wilkinson channels Leon Russell for the swamping, “Black and Blue,” and Mule does his best Lowell George for the Little Feat- esque “One Shot.”The whole group gets together on some sweet harmony vocals to accompany the lush string tones on the Appalachian sing along “Miss What I Got.” Many of the songs feature classic southern and religious colloquialisms in the titles, lyrics and chorus hooks such as the bluegrass and brass band infected “Cast The First Stone,” and the Allman Brothers styled tale of redemption “Prodigal Son,” that lend a air of familiarity and authenticity to the forms.
The spicy second line fueled “Johnny Come Home,” features New Orleans bluesmen John Mooney on guitar and drummer Eric Bolivar on an authentic zydeco dance hall number. The band invited harmonica great Mickey Raphael to help them paint the proper honky tonk landscape simply titled “Pills,” with the line “I’ve got time to talk it over, over whisky weed and wine, and all I do is think of you and hang my head and cry,” words that Willie Nelson could have penned himself. Honey Island then parade down to the ninth ward with Dirty Dozen Brass Band founder Kirk Joseph and his Sousaphone in tow for the track “Never Saw it Comin’” paying tribute to Professor Longhair. Former Dr. John and Dumpstaphunk drummer Raymond Weber rounds out the guest on the closing track of searing soul rock “Strangers.”
With this album Honey Island Swamp Band has given us a taste of southern hospitality that is indeed sweet as Cane Sugar.
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http://www.honeyislandswampband.com/
