Search - Super Chikan :: Shoot That Thang

Super Chikan
Shoot That Thang
Genres: Blues, Pop

Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
1. Guilty Man
2. Don't Mess With the Blues
3. Tin Top Shack
4. Mennonite Blues
5. Bus-Train-Rain
6. Staingy Wid It
7. Could Have Been Me
8. Junky Trunk
9. Marry Me
10. Wrong to Sing the Blues
11. Shoot That Thang!

CD Details

All Artists: Super Chikan
Title: Shoot That Thang
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rooster Blues
Release Date: 6/12/2001
Genres: Blues, Pop
Styles: Delta Blues, Electric Blues, Modern Blues
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 691874264522

Synopsis

Amazon.com

James "Super Chikan" Johnson has blossomed from an oddity, a quirky songwriter and struggling singer-guitarist who claims to talk with chickens, to a juke-blues wizard in four years and three albums. On Shoot That Thang, the Clarksdale, Mississippi, resident has retained his ability to spin tales that capture the folksy weirdness and humor of Delta life, but he displays newfound strength as a melodic vocalist with a versatile grasp of the six-string. He bends notes with the rich, stinging guitar tone of Buddy Guy on "Mennonite Blues," spins out a delightful country ode to lovemaking in "Tin Top Shack," gets funky in the nasty-double-entendre-packed "Staingy Wid It" and "Wrong to Sing the Blues," and offers a clinic in wah-wah pedal boogie and hot-shot soloing on the eight-minute title track. He even closes "Shoot That Thang" with a musical ode to his well-known uncle, Big Jack, mimicking the elder Johnson's trademark stabbing vibrato licks. The Thomas brothers, who play bass and drums, offer granitic support to Super Chikan's flights and double as a soulful vocal chorus on two numbers. There's also a bonus: the CD jacket folds out into a beautiful seven-panel comic-strip bio of Johnson by award-winning comic book author and African American music aficionado Harvey Pekar. --Ted Drozdowski

CD Reviews

Blues with a smile

malaguarambler | Carlsbad, NM | 09/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On this release for Rooster (arguably the best blues record label operating) James "Super Chikan" Johnson and the Fighting Cocks release that infectious feeling they deliver live. There is a long history of comic blues (mainly "blue" blues, as in Bo Carter of "Bannana in Your Fruitbasket" fame) but Chikan brings us into the postmodern era as only he could. The humor he is known for is generally subtle, sometimes outrageous, but always effective. Every cut contains what could only be explained as a sly grin from Chikan. The title cut is the best example of that "live" feeling, an 8 1/2 minute jam that is the standout on the album. If you're lucky enough to see him live, this album will remind you of the great time you had; if you haven't, this is a great approximation. Throughout the album Chikan and the Cocks unleash that funky blues boogie that no one does better. If you're one of those people that find the contemporary blues scene derivative, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album and see how wrong people can be. This album is as fresh as it gets, and Chikan is a true and priceless original. "Shoot That Thang" has all of the qualities of the legendary Chuck Berry: Boogie music at its loosest and best; inventive and well-written lyrics; and one hell of a lot of personality. Don't miss this."

Super Chikan

Caroline Barrow | Wisconsin | 06/19/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I'm a sucker for the Blues. When I found this, the artist's name and the title appealed to my wackier side. And after listening to the samples, I had to get it. Now that I have it, and have listened to it a few times, I have to say that it's fun, a bit different. I like that the artist draws from his own life experiences when writing his songs. Not always true Blues, but I'm liking it. Overall, a good addition to my music library."