J. S. “Largemouth” Weeden – Makin’ A Livin’ Fishin’

Produced in 2005 by Pool Room Music, JS fancies himself as the “World’s Greatest Blues Singin’ Bass Fisherman” a claim it is hard to dispute. This 16 song CD much like JS himself is full of him. There is at least one song on this CD guaranteed to hit a nerve on virtually any “PC” cat on the block. But there is no denying his versatility and basic, well-rooted music and he is supported by a group of terrific musicians. Few drummers lead or sing for the group (Karen Carpenter, Phil Collins, Don Henley being notable acceptations) but JS does a fine job of it so kick back and dig this CD it’s a good listen. Here are some snapshots from the 16 cuts.

1 – Incompatibility – Solid rockin’ blues with a great harmonica
2 - The Pool Hustler – A good sound not his best effort
3 – Mail Order Bride – Versatility here on this danceable tune. Nice sound.
4 – Catchin’ Up On The Blues – Best blues groove on the disc
5 – If The Ticks Don’t Get ‘Em the Chiggers Will – Bit of novelty here, good horn
6 – Hard To Know – Very good sound -- full and tight
7 – She Collect Sea Shells – Sounding more like The Keys than The Delta but OK
8 – Makin’ A Livin’ Fishin’ – JS’s dream life in 4 bar
9 – Crawl Space Boogie – A totally different sound in the “Howlin’” style. Cool Groove
10 – Bye Bye Terrorist – Another message song but a good basic blues
11 – Doin’ It – Could have cut this from the disc. Rushed for a produced song
12 – Man With A Woman – Another message song but solid bass/drum groove line
13 – Movin’ Time – Good mojo on this tune by the band
14 – Cialis Levitta & Viagra – More message on a simple groove. Should have cut it
15 – Mothers-In-Law – Too busy to be a blues shuffle
16 – Thousands Of Dollars – This cut has a soul and a sound

All-in-all this CD is a 2.7 on the STLBluesometer. You get 7-8 good tunes and the rest are JS yellin’ his story. I suspect this was produced quickly. There is a lot of talent on this disc but it only sparks never catches fire.

Later Gator.