John Hammond: Wicked Grin

John Hammond never got over the blues revival of the early '60s, and that made his career. The son of hyper-influential producer and talent scout John Hammond Sr., Hammond Jr. found his voice while singing the songs of the giants and the forgotten blues masters who came before him. A revivalist in the truest sense, he's long served as a reverent, smart reminder of the rich and occasionally neglected homegrown blues tradition. Hammond's general refusal to deviate from that formula has become a bit of a trademark, but the new Wicked Grin suggests that the occasional departure might be worth his time. The album, a collection of Tom Waits songs produced by Waits, allows Hammond to stretch out a bit while underscoring his subject's connections to the blues. Opting on some tracks for traditional blues arrangement, and on others for the avant-noise sound of his more recent albums, Waits provides Hammond with an evocative backdrop for his growling. At times, Hammond sounds uncannily like his producer, particularly when dipping into the lower registers, but even when the sound remains familiar, the approach does not. Waits songs both vintage ("16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six," "Shore Leave") and recent ("Get Behind The Mule" and a pair of new tracks) get filtered through Hammond's distinctive interpretive skills, and his authority helps confirm Waits' timelessness. Waits stays off the scene vocally until the album-closing traditional gospel number "I Know I've Been Changed," but by then Wicked Grin has already distinguished itself as a near-perfect mix of two sympathetic talents operating in top form.