Jo Jo Hermann
Defector
Fat Possum
I… I… I just… I just don’t know what to say. I’ve never felt so lost for words. I almost feel personally betrayed. Fat Possum is usually my lifeline for good, old-fashioned (and, sometimes, a bit wacky, please check out Little Axe), hard-stomping blues. While I have come nowhere close to hearing their entire catalogue, I’ve never heard a Fat Possum release I didn’t love… until Jo Jo Hermann. No, I won’t go so far as saying that Defector is the worst blues CD I’ve ever heard. I just don’t understand what it’s all about or why it was ever made. Fat Possum has such a distinguished record. Their sound is so distinctive. Yet, there’s just nothing distinctive about Hermann. If you heard him in a blues festival or bar, he might be enjoyable enough. But, in all honesty, his voice is strained, and the music is generic. There’s just nothing positively compelling about this effort, and it pains me to have to write that. But not as pain-inducing as it is to listen to. Sorry, guys.
Fat Possum: http://www.fatpossum.com/
