FOGHAT
SONIC MOJO
Foghat Records
Four out of Five stars
It’s hard to imagine a band more enduring than blues-rock revivalists Foghat. After seventeen albums, they still soldier on, unencumbered by current trends while pursuing the same motif. They do so to the delight of devotees and the astonishment of those who might otherwise decry the fact they give such due diligence to a well-worn template.
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Of course, this isn’t the same ensemble that established itself after splitting from seminal blues band Savoy Brown at the start of the ’70s. Back then, guitarist and vocalist Lonesome Dave Peverett, drummer Roger Earl, and bassist Tony Stevens had all the acumen needed to succeed on their own. Hits like “Slow Ride” and “Fool for the City,” the services of producer Dave Edmunds, and an affiliation with Bearsville Records—not to mention all their non-stop touring—brought credibility to their cause as well.
The passing of Perverett, Price, and second-generation bandmate Graig MacGregor, made it incumbent on Earl to live up to that legacy. The title of the new album, Sonic Mojo, alludes to that persistence and perseverance, and on rousing, rollicking, and riveting tracks like “I Don’t Appreciate You,” “Mean Woman Blues,” and “She’s Dynamite,” the band’s current incarnation proves they have the grit and gravitas needed to maintain Foghat’s blustery bravado. Notably, three tracks on the new album—the aforementioned “I Don’t Appreciate You,” the boogie-fueled “Drivin’ On” and the brash album opener “Little Bit of Everything”—are co-written with the late Kim Simmonds, the man who fostered Foghat’s first incarnation originally.
It’s hardly surprising then that the majority of the material revisits well-tested terrain. Covers of Chuck Berry, B.B. King, and Willie Dixon bank on the familiarity factor, just as the tellingly titled “How Many More Years” and “Time Slips Away” reference the temporal nature of life in general.
Ultimately then, Sonic Mojo lives up to its name, proving the fact that Foghat are as adept as ever. Their slow ride aside, Foghat can claim a consistent career regardless.
Photo by Jake Coughlin