339: King Hokum, by C.W. Stoneking

C.W. Stoneking (Australia)
King Hokum (2006)
11 tracks, 37 minutes
Bandcamp ∙ Spotify ∙ iTunes

Between covering C.W. Stoneking’s Jungle Blues on this blog and writing a review of his latest, Gon’ Boogaloo, for fRoots Magazine, with today’s entry I’ll have ended up writing about all his (official) releases in one form or another. I even wrote an article for fRoots that now serves as the biography on Stoneking’s own website, which I’m particularly proud of. All of which is to say, I obviously can’t stop going on about him. For good reason, too.

Seriously, I would struggle to think of an artist with a more perfect discography. Across those three albums, there is barely a song that is anything short of fantastic. He doesn’t stay in the same place, either. Today’s album, King Hokum, was released first and has a very pre-war country blues feel; Jungle Blues is more of a vaudevillian set with a few calypsos thrown in, and then Gon’ Boogaloo changes it up even more, switching the acoustic guitar and banjo for an entirely electric guitar-based album of gospel, jump blues and rock’n’roll of the rootsiest flavours.

Like I said in my entry on Jungle Blues back in June, I feel like I could write at length about every song that man’s made, and King Hokum is no exception. Well, I’m not going to write at length. But here’s a run-down of each, because god knows I have other work to be doing today and I will not miss this opportunity to procrastinate in the name of productivity:

C.W. Stoneking’s King Hokum Track-by-Track Commentary by Your Host, Jim Hickson

• ‘Way Out In the World’ – A great opener with a chunky-sounding National Resonator guitar plonking out a moan that feels like it could be 100 years old. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘Don't Go Dancin' Down the Darktown Strutter's Ball’ – One of my favourites from Stoneking. Brilliantly simple tenor banjo work and some of the most beautifully subtle blue note bends in his old man’s voice make my neck-hair stand on end. Slightly menacing but sadly imparted words of advice. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘She's a Bread Baker’ – An upbeat one! The first of the album, and a typical jelly-roll blues with all of the word play, metaphor and witty couplets that you’d expect. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘Dodo Blues’ – Probably the most well-known song on the album. Actually quite a touching song of heartbreak, wrapped up in a sketch about a ‘singing’ dodo at a market – the last one in existence. In that context, the lyrics are even given an additional layer of poignancy, ridiculous as it sounds. Fair play. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘On a Christmas Day’ – A guest appearance from Kirsty Fraser, who joins Stoneking for some over-the-top festive horniness. Filled with groansome innuendo (in the best way) and brazen smut. ‘I’m so glad, I’ve waited ‘round the clock / I’ve been wantin’ all year for a suck of that – yeah!’ indeed. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘Charley Bostock’s Blues’ – A really moving piece. Based on the true story of the death of Stoneking’s old bandmate. Really emotional, and really well-written. Watching him perform it live is always a special, heartfelt moment. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘Goin' the Country’ – In which the artist embodies two separate personalities in one song. A great and light-hearted take on the romantic rail-hopping story archetype. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘Bad Luck Everywhere You Go’ – A real chugging-along blues that sounds like it’s been curdled at the bottom of a swamp and slowly risen to the surface like a sluggish bubble. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘Rich Man's Blues’ – A Tory’s anthem. Tongue firmly in cheek. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘You Took My Thing and Put It In Your Place’ – Fraser’s back for another round of innuendo blatant enough to make a herpetologist blush. Recommended.
  
  
• ‘Handyman Blues’ – Another great song, and with a wonderful performance from the horn section too. More sly innuendo, but in a darker musical tone this time. Stoneking’s delivery of the word ‘handyman’ in the chorus is spine-tingling and even more so when joined by the horns in harmony when it’s performed live. That little innovation was added after the album recording though. Still, it’s recommended all the same.

Well there you have it. 11 brilliant tracks from a brilliant musician. I think that’s probably enough procrastination for me to be getting on with for now. And for you to be getting on with: listen to everything of C.W. Stoneking’s work you can get your hands on. And whenever he gets around to releasing his next album, you can be sure that I’ll be writing about it in some form, somewhere or other. I can’t wait!