Aerosmith's 'Honkin On Bobo'
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Band: Aerosmith
Title: Honkin' on Bobo
About 90 days ago the, 'Year of the Blues' expired without much hoopla. Targeted to reinvigorate the wilting artform, some popsters including John Mellencamp jumped on board with an excellent album of blues orientated songs and covers. Absent an ocean of reissued archival blues recordings and a tepid Scorsee PBS special, to my mind, the industry failed miserably to embrace the 12 month Blues celebration and the listener responded in kind.
In one week two major label releases have come out which could have propelled the Year of the Blues into more than a blip; Eric Clapton's, 'Me & Mr. Johnson' and Aerosmith's Honkin' On Bobo.' Both albums have gotten well above average reviews from major publications including Rolling Stone and Time magazines. As I listen to these releases I celebrate the vibrancy they could muster for the scene by bringing a vast audience back to the well. As the 'pie' grows larger the opportunity for the commercial success of other deserving acts increases.
It's self evident that both Clapton and Aerosmith have redefine avenues for the blues sound; however, both are equally too far removed from the grit & grind of the modern American Blues sound to offer more than a sanitary sound for mass consumption. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Steven Tyler is hot-stuff; an animated guru of words and stage antics but is that sufficient to pull off this latest caper? If you are 'heavily' into modern American blues you may, I said may, be able to dig into Aerosmith's album: 11 trad covers and one original. However it's more likely this disc is going to appeal most to folks that have fallen away from roots music and Aerosmith fans. So much of what separates a good blues album from a great recording is passion and conviction. 'Honkin' on Bobo' is a well recorded passable but unconvincing performance by America's premier rock band that is up to it's usual sthick. Hear it before you buy it and you'll thank me in the morning.
Okay, for those unwilling to read between the lines, it's a solid album by a great band pretending to be a blues band. Aerosmith shines best when they do their own thing: and they do it so well. The value of this album will be the interest 'Smith is able to generate in the blues and thereby help lesser known blues acts. It's entertaining and it's respectable but it's was never meant to be groundbreaking and consquently it's not.
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