R.J.Mischo

King of a Mighty Good Time

Challis Records.

Harpist R.J. Mischo has been hovering on the periphery of greater recognition for 15 years.  The hard-touring Minnesota native recently relocated to Arkansas after spending a decade in Calilfornia, where King of a Mighty Good Time was recorded with a stellar band whose reverence for tradition is rambunctious rather than rigid.  Mischo is joined on these 13 tracks by pianist Bob Welsh (who also plays guitar on several cuts), bassist Kedar Roy, drummers Marty Dodson and Hans Bosse, and guitarists Kid Andersen and Jon Lawton.  Produced by Andersen with a vibrant retro feel, the band brims with infectious joie de vivre.  Even the title track, which closes the album, manages to be a jaunty ode to Mischo's eventual death.  This song-of-the-year candidate is the ultimate anti-"Going Down Slow," and it cleverly bookends the album with the similar-sounding set opener, "Cheap Wine."

The only dark tunes are Sonny Boy Williamson II's "I Can't Do Without You" and the droning, Delta-drenched "Too Little Love (Too Much Religion),"  a lament about the current state of the world featuring Andersen on sitar.  For the most part, the disc's other originals evoke their source points – "R.J.'s Back in Town" (Jimmy Reed), "Good Bad Co." (Sonny Boy II), and the instrumental "Joint" (Little Walter) – while lesser-known covers pay homage to Windy City inspirations Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, James Cotton, and Mischo's mentor, George "Mojo" Buford.

Mischo's magnificent tone, formidable chops , and affable, self-assured vocals make this disc a must-have for harmonica fans.  His best release to date, King of a Mighty Good Time also contains some of Welsh's finest playing on record.

-Thomas J. Cullen III,  BLUES REVUE Magazine Oct/Nov 2008