Mojo Gurus - Let's Get Lit with...the Mojo Gurus

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 24 / 10 / 2009

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Review

It’s fun to see how many labels have been hung on the music this four piece from the Tampa Bay area of Florida make. Artists as diverse as Hank Williams and the Rolling Stones have been named as influences and almost every genre has been bandied about when trying to describe the sound the band produce. Try imagining a band who play the following ; gritty Southern rock meets glam, surf rock, rockabilly, honky-tonk, old school country and rhythm and blues are just some of the genres that the band have been labelled as playing. It all sounds a hell of a mess on paper and bands that genuinely ( and bravely ) try taking on a sound that would cover just a couple of the above bases are hardly thin on the ground. In spite of this the Mojo Gurus seem to have attracted a lot of attention in their ten-year existence and the mere fact that the band are still together and are not only attracting more and more fans to their gigs but also selling more records only proves that they must be doing something right. To clear up where the band are in the general scheme of things it’s best to almost forget any reference points you may read when checking the band out. Three words are all that is needed to describe this band’s music and attitude. Rock and Roll. It’s as pure and simple as that. The Mojo Gurus don’t just have an authentic rock and roll sound; they have that rock and roll attitude. Over the thirteen songs on ‘Let’s Get Lit With…’ you hear music that could have been made anytime in the last five decades and the fact that it’s being made by four guys who are loving and feeling every single note and sound on the album shines through clearly. The title song, ‘You Didn’t Have to Do Me (Like That)’ and ‘Better of the Bottle’ (the latter which shows the band successfully introducing a little country styled fiddle into their rock and roll) verge on the side of novelty songs but they never fail to get you singing or dancing along and surely that’s what a band like The Mojo Gurus set out to do. But it’s when the band gets down to some dirty, back to basics rock and roll as on ‘(Just A) Couple Of Kicks’ that the band really takes off. It sounds so natural; the music of a band knocking out high energy rock and roll that you simply can’t sit still to. Even when the band pay homage to their rock and roll heroes like Chuck Berry on ‘Rebelene’ there’s still enough of The Mojo Gurus' own individuality to make them stand out from the crowd. Occasionally the band cool things down for a song or two, best demonstrated here by ‘Words From An Angel’ where fiddle from Blind Buddy Moody and sweet female backing vocals add new textures to the band’s sound. Injecting a little country into rock and roll is nothing new but The Mojo Gurus do it better than most. Although the current line-up isn’t the same bunch of musicians who played on the band’s first albums it sounds like this band have been playing together for years. Without wishing to take anything away from the brilliant rhythm section of Vinnie Granese (bass) and Mark Busto (drums) in guitarist Doc Lovett and vocalist Kevin Steele the band have two of the best real rock and roll artists I’ve heard in many a year. For a prime example of just how tight this band is try the track ‘13’ on which each and every member of the quartet really shines. If further proof is needed that Doc Lovett is one of the great undiscovered guitarists of our time leave the CD running and take a listen to the next song, ‘Price I Pay’, although the song isn’t as good as ‘13’ Doc steals the show with his guitar lines. This is a Friday night party album, of that there is no mistake. If these thirteen songs don’t get a party going then nothing will, and there’s a live feel to the whole album like it was recorded in one take while the band were hosting a party in the studio. A good time is guaranteed for all…

Track Listing:-

1 Let¿s Get Lit
2 I Can¿t Stand To Hear That Song Again
3 Bucket O¿ Blood
4 You Didn¿t Have To Do Me (Like That)
5 Better Of The Bottle
6 (Just A) Couple Of Kicks
7 Rebelene
8 Words From An Angel
9 13
10 Price I Pay
11 Stingray
12 Nuthin' But A Thang
13 Party Doll