Blues Bag (Bullseye Blues)
(STAR) 1/2
On his first solo album, Omar and the Howlers` namesake has come up with a homage to his Mississippi blues roots that, while undoubtedly well-intentioned, presents him as a caricature of the white bluesman. Omar (a k a Kent Dykes) has a voice that is somewhere between those of Howlin` Wolf and Wolfman Jack, lacking the depth of the former while retaining the artificiality of the latter. Half of the ”Blues Bag” material is acoustic, and while his version of Hound Dog Taylor`s ”Give Me Back My Wig” is rousing, he proves he`s no Robert Johnson on the master`s ”Gotta Good Friend.” Even a moonlighting Fingers Taylor from Jimmy Buffett`s band on harp can`t help breathe life into this uninspiring affair.
Ratings:
Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Poor (STAR)