John Hammond - Wicked Grin

When is a Tom Waits album not a Tom Waits album?  Wicked Grin is John Hammond’s 28^th album.  For practically his entire career, John Hammond has been an interpreter of songs of blues musicians.  Wicked Grin is another such album in Hammond’s large canon, only with a twist.  It’s full of songs by Tom Waits, produced by Tom Waits, recorded in Tom Waits’ favorite studio with some of Tom Waits’ usual musical suspects [Waits' occasional bassist Larry Taylor, drummer Stephen Hodges, keyboardist Augie Meyers, Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica].  The only song not written by Waits is I Know I’ve Been Changed.  There are two songs that had not been released by Tom Waits at the time Wicked Grin was recorded – 2:19 and Fannin Street [both were later released by the man himself in 2006].  Buzz Fledderjohn was a Japanese bonus track for Mule Variations.

As mentioned, John Hammond has made a career interpreting the blues of the old masters, so why Tom Waits?  I say “why not?”  The two men have friends for a long time.  Waits once opened for Hammond over forty years ago, an experience that Hammond once said made him very hesitant to follow Waits on-stage.  Of Waits’ songs, Hammond once said “I include a song of his or two just about every night. I love these songs. They nail it and they have a blues base… all the feeling, and Tom’s take on life  Waits provided a song for Hammond’s 1992 album Got Love If You Want It [the song is No One Can Forgive Me But My Baby if you’re looking].  Hammond returned the favor by playing on Waits’ 1999 album Mule Variations.

Wicked Grin has a dreamlike, swampy blues feeling to it.  For the most part Hammond stays away from Waits’ latter day work for Anti- Records and concentrates on the older stuff from the Asylum and Island days.  The songs from those days were more bluesy, boozy, and a bit more seedy.  What came out was a sparse, more modern sounding Tom Waits record with a singer you can actually understand.  That being said, these tales of urban realism, wild characters and street-smart scenes are in good hands with John Hammond.  Some of the arrangements are similar to [but not exactly like] the originals.  Others [the ones I prefer] are radically different.  Either way, this is good stuff.

The tracklist:

2:19 [Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards]

Heartattack and Vine [Heartattack and Vine]

Clap Hands [Rain Dogs]

‘Til the Money Runs Out [Heartattack and Vine]

16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six [Swordfishtrombones]

Buzz Fledderjohn [Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards]

Get Behind the Mule [Mule Variations]

Shore Leave [Swordfishtrombones]

Fannin Street [Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards]

Jockey Full of Bourbon [Rain Dogs]

Big Black Mariah [Rain Dogs]

Murder in the Red Barn [Bone Machine]

I Know I’ve Been Changed [Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards]

Tony’s picks from Wicked Grin:  Shore Leave, Buzz Fledderjohn, ‘Til the Money Runs Out, 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six.  The arrangements on the first three songs are radically different than the originals.  I like the originals, but these arrangements just add to the charm.  16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six is similar to the original, but to these ears John Hammond does it better. 

Bonus fries:  If you like Wicked Grin but can’t get enough of him singing songs by Tom Waits, there are more songs on subsequent albums.  On 2003’s Ready for Love [produced by Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo], you’ll find Low Side of the Road [from 1999’s Mule Variations] and Gin Soaked Boy [from Swordfishtrombones].  On 2007’s Push Comes to Shove [produced by G. Love] you’ll find Cold Water [also from Mule Variations].

Bottom line:  If you like Tom Waits’ songs but not his voice, or if you just want to hear the songs you like done a different way, this is a very good purchase.  The albums from which the “bonus fries” come from are also worthy of parting with your money.  Ready for Love and Push Comes to Shove have similar production to Wicked Grin, so get all three for a nice trilogy.