Let's Get Lit

The Mojo Gurus are the reincarnation of glam rockers Roxx Gang, and the change in style has done them a world of good. They always played a basic kind of down-and-dirty rock & roll, and in their Mojo clothes they're even downer and dirtier than ever. You could call this heavy metal rockabilly or hard rock meets country without being too far off the mark. The subject matter here is pretty basic — booze, cars, sex, gals good and bad, and a life on the skids — and the music is even more basic: hard-rockin' crunchers that pummel you into submission with the power of the music and the force of Kevin Steele's howling lead vocals. "Let's Get Lit," a salute to booze and good times, opens the set on a raucous note with Steve Sobecki's pedal steel adding to the band's orgy of distorted noise. "I Can't Stand to Hear That Song Again" sounds like David Allan Coe fronting the Rolling Stones, which actually isn't such a bad idea. It's a "drinking your blues away" country-rocker that references Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. "Bucket of Blood" is a straight-up roadhouse rocker; "Better of the Bottle" is another boozy hoedown; and "(Just A) Couple of Kicks" adds pills, dancing, and promiscuity to the party. The arrangements get a little more diverse midway through the album, without straying too far from the basic grind. "Rebelene" is hard psychobilly that recalls Eddie Cochran and the Cramps, with Gene Cannon's sax adding some '50s honk to the mix. "Words from an Angel" is almost a spiritual, and proves that acoustic music can be just as greasy as rock. "Price I Pay" is a strutting R&B grinder that rides a simple repeated riff; "Stingray" is an out of control metal surf tune that showcases Doc Lovett's distorted twang and Mark Bustos' relentless drumming; "Nuthin' But a Thang" blends bluegrass banjo, twang-heavy guitar, and a backbeat that'll have you breaking a sweat in no time; while "Party Doll" closes things with some gritty, reverb-drenched rockabilly. There's nothing earth-shaking here save the volume and the attitude, but those who like their rock loud, fast, and unornamented will find plenty to meditate on in the presence of these Gurus. ~ j. poet, Rovi