Road Dog is the newest album from blues harmonica master Mark Hummel and his All Stars, released on Rockinitus Records. It’s a career-spanning collection, combining tracks recorded recently with others over a decade old that had never before been released, all cut at Kid Andersen’s famed Greaseland Studio. Hummel handles harmonica and lead vocals throughout, backed by a rotating cast of blues royalty: guitarists Anson Funderburgh, Junior Watson, and the late Little Charlie Baty; pianists Bob Welsh, Brett Brandstatt, and Chris Burns; drummer Wes Starr; bassists Kedar Roy and RW Grigsby; and saxophonist Eric Spaulding on select cuts. Fourteen tracks deep, the album blends Hummel originals with carefully chosen, well-loved covers, creating a menu in which so many of these talented musicians get to shine and show that they are, indeed, all stars.
A few of the album’s highlights:
“Black Nights” opens the album with Hummel paying tribute to fellow musician Lowell Fulson, who first recorded the song. What better way to pay tribute to an artist than by giving life to their art?
“Real Good Woman” carries a very pleasing groove, with inviting harmonica work throughout. It’s always refreshing to hear the blues tell it like it is about something positive, in this case celebrating a good woman. Heartbreak be damned.
“Why Did It Happen” leans into classic blues tension, capturing heartbreak and confusion after a breakup. It’s pure entertainment.
“Rockin’ Blues” lives up to its name with a real rock and blues energy, a multi-textured arrangement where the guitar skates on the edge of jazz and the saxes bring the low-down. It’s a varied experience that amplifies (and satisfies) your expectations.
“Gypsy in My Soul” offers a 360-degree atmosphere for the mind and the soul, immersive and absorbing from start to finish.
“You Are Right” is as truthful as it is engaging, and a real treat.
The album closes with “Gadjo’s Swing,” track fourteen, a jaunty number that gives the harmonica over to the moniker of “harp” — and earns it. The harp and guitar pair perfectly, bringing the whole record to a close on such a pleasing journey that these musicians take you on.
Road Dog succeeds because it never feels like a mere retrospective; instead, it plays like old friends picking up a conversation decades in the making. By weaving together newly recorded sessions with long-unreleased gems, and balancing originals with deserving covers, Mark Hummel and his All Stars create an album where every player gets room to be heard at their best. From the tribute of “Black Nights” to the jazz-tinged send-off of “Gadjo’s Swing,” the record moves effortlessly between tradition and surprise. It makes you want to go find these musicians playing live. A fitting, generous tribute to a lifetime of blues friendships.
