Blues In The South - December 2006

Well, It took me a bit of time to get to this one. It's been lying in the 'must listen' tray for a while now. What a boo-boo! I have missed out, for far too long, on listening to this great stuff. Don't make the same mistake as me! Tim describes his music as Bleggae - a fusion of blues and reggae - and it really works. It's almost as if these two types of music, forged in poverty and hardship and with - at their root - three basic chords, were never really separate at all. Like twins separated at birth, they come together again and become something special. Tim delivers some stunning stuff: Hendrix's 'Wind cries Mary - reggae-fied'; 'That's What The Blues Is All About', a Tony Joe White song, given a new twist; a super new song by Tim and John Lee Hooker's daughter Zakiya 'An Old Bluesman Never Dies' and so much more. Many of the original tracks on this CD will (mark my words) be covered by key artists 'ere long. Go and get your copy now You won't regret it..

Ian Mckenzie - Blues In The South

Tim Hain & Sunnyside Up offer a fresh concept by injecting healthy doses of reggae into blues, rock, R&B, and soul-blues on One Man Went to Mojo (Note 1009 2). Familiar tracks like Little Willie John's "Need Your Love So Bad" (via Fleetwood Mac), Buffalo Springfield's "For 'What It's Worth," and Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue" are reworked in reggae and dancehall styles. The change is less striking on "Wind Cries Mary," where Hain re-creates Jimi Hendrix's guitar part nearly note-for-note.

In addition to Hain's affecting vocals, he conjures Albert King's guitar work expertly on "Down Don't Bother Me." A few cuts - Tony Joe White's "That's What the Blues Is All About," Hain's "I'm Just Getting Started" eschew the Jamaican rhythms. Hain includes anti-war songs in "Welcome to Iraq" and "If I Ever Get Home."

Tom Hyslop - Blues Review

Blues Matters – August 2006

One Man Went To Mojo – Tim Hain

There has been a lot of hype about Tim Ham recently so I was really looking forward to listening, thankfully it stands up to the promotion - in fact it is a masterpiece! I don't mind a bit of reggae and the mix with Blues is a good combination. Tim points out that both genres have their roots in uplifting the spirits of the oppressed and calls his mixture "Bleggae".

This is the culmination of years and years of gigging in the higher echelons of both the Blues and reggae circles on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a great album, there is some great inventiveness on display, the version of ’Wind Cries Mary’ in a Blues-reggae style is absolutely wonderful.. it is worth buying the album just for this track!

The album is effectively in two parts, the first is set is definitely more reggae, the second is supposed to be more Blues-influenced but the difference is sometimes more subtle than I was expecting (some were very well played Blues tracks, some were still heavily reggae-influenced).

There are 18 tracks, so it is good value with a mixture of highly polished musicians providing a good backdrop to Tim's multi-instrumental input. The covers are well thought out with the reggae input in full effect, whilst the originals are equally strong. However, if you are not a big fan of reggae it will be an album to dip in and out of, rather than listening to all the way through.

®ick Lacey – Blues Matters

August 2006 - Blues in Britain -
Tim Ham & Sunnyside Up One Man Went To Mojo

Hands up those who remember back in the early 1970s when the Staple Singers sampled (as it would be called now) Jamaican outfit Harry J All Stars and had a big hit for Stax with' "lf You're Ready". Well, let's imagine the label decided to pursue this approach a little further - say by sending Albert King to Studio One in Kingston to cut with some reggae musicians. OK? Imagine no longer though - just take a listen to Tim Ham's cover of 'Down Don't Bother Me" and we have a good example of just how it might have sounded.

Last month's Blues In Britain cover star Tim's blend of blues and reggae works so successfully because he has first hand experience of both idioms. He is a fine blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, with a good ear for the kind of songs that can be adapted to his style. "Wind Cries Mary" and "Need Your Love So Bad", which sounds as though it was inspired by the Fleetwood Mac version, are strong examples. Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" has already been covered reggae-fashion several times. Tim also has a strong feel for the linguistic and musical idioms of Jamaica, and can unselfconsciously throw in some of those biblical references so common in reggae and use a little rasta-speak too.

The album is split evenly between some serious 'no punches pulled' items and some more 'good-timing material' (for want of a better description) - from "Welcome To Iraq" to the silly title track; but then again, nursery rhymes have been recorded by some of the greatest Jamaican artists. Reggae rhythms underpin much of the material for this set, but there are straight blues too-try the 'boners' track for a real blaster, or "That's What The Blues Is All About" for a very intelligent song that deserves to replace "The Blues Is Alright" as an anthem. The beautiful duet rendition of Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue" should be released as a lover's rock single and let's see how it would do!

Tim enlisted a whole host of talented musicians for support on this and the results are classy indeed. Highly recommended as long as you don't mind something a little different from the 12 bar norm.

Rating: 9 - Norman Darwen - Blues in Britain

When the first thing I see is a puntatic title my hand instinctively reaches for a pint of whisky that isn't there anymore. Which would be a shame as there is a lot to enjoy here. Mind you, I would exclude from that statement the use of the word 'bleggae' to describe the mixture of blues and reggae percussion present throughout a lot of the songs here. If you have to invent a word to describe it, then 'regalues' is much cooler.

The original material is better suited to the hybrid approach than the half dozen covers. After all, if I'd heard the desecration visited upon "For What It's Worht" before "Fine Time Child" or "Somebody Turn On A Light", then it would have been hammer smashed face time. Again. But the verve and life applied to the original material still manages to make this a winner.

S A Hamilton - Zeitgeist

Tim Hain & SunnySideUp: One Man Went To Mojo

Tim is a vibrant, entertaining performer and songwriter, whose roots are in Blues and Reggae. Driven by his band Sunny Side Up, which powerfully melds the Blues of Chicago and Reggae of Jamaica, he will rock you with favourites like "Wind Cries Mary" and roll you with his dub workout of the classic "Need Your Love So Bad", which has had airplay from Paul Jones. He'll also have you dancing and singing along to his own superb songs, many of which beg to be covered by established artists.(edit)

posted by Peter at 11:28 AM

what's a surprise this album is amazing, i love it so much....

I'm very glad 'cause it's original, deep and so inspired.

Thank you so much, i send you my play-list as soon i come back from
holidays. In wait, if you have some new album about others artists i'll be
interresting.

Still a lot of thanks,

Frederic Briout

Welcome To Iraq is, not surprisingly, another anti-war song and Tim manages to blend slide guitar and reggae very well. Clever slant on this one. The eponymous title track is just One Man Went To Mow by another name and, despite being well played and sung, is probably the weakest track on offer. Tim is back to the blues on Feels So Fine which swings along well enough with some good guitar and the spoken lyric is ok. An Old Bluesman Never Dies is performed in a John Lee Hooker style, appropriately enough as it was Zakiya Hooker who wrote it. Tim can't help himself however and flits off into his reggae rhythms. There's another classic in the shape of Misty Blue and this fits into Tim's style very well. Clea Llewellen provides the vocal and there's no doubting that Sunnysideup are a reggae band. Twenty Years Younger is a good, fun song and Albert King's Down Don't Bother Me is given a fine reggae/rock treatment. Tim's high standing shows when Tony Joe White appears as a co-writer of That's What The Blues Is All About and the result is a funky blues to rival the best. The penultimate track, I'm Just Getting Started, is a slight disappointment (compared to the rest of the set) and its blend of R&B/Soul just doesn't reach the standard. The final song is a live bonus in the shape of Put A Smile On Your Face and it gives a flavour of their potential. I can't wait to see this powerful performer.

David Blue, June 2006 - http://www.netrhythms.co.uk/

Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer - Blues MAGAZINE - FRANCE - June 2006
Tim Hain & The Sunnysideup - One Man Went To Mojo – Note Records – NCD 1009-2

When British labels send us treats like this, you feel that they’re not just doing it for fun, but to make a big impression. Shaven headed like Eddie Martin, Tim Hain is as gifted on six strings as his British counterpart and offers us on this disc eighteen titles (yes, you read it right, eighteen titles!) and the chance to discover and warm to “Bleggae”, a very personal mix of blues and reggae(hence “Bleggae”), which brings to all these compositions, as well as to the cover versions, a new and particularly stunning sound.

Accompanied by a tight-knit team which includes Roy Parsons and Pete Shaw on bass, Prince and Leroy on drums, Tim Hain brings together no less than 22 guests, including singer Paul Cox, the excellent Robin Bibi on wah-wah guitar, the superb Kit Hain on vocals and I’ll skip the rest, otherwise this‚ will become  a long, indigestible  list of names and Christian names! The album cleverly alternates covers, such as the homage to Jimi Hendrix with a Bleggae‚ version of The Wind Cries Mary, with Master Tim’s original compositions.

Amongst the covers we must point out a few pearls, such as Steven Stills‚ “For What it’s Worth”, Albert King’s  "Down Don’t Bother Me”, and Little Willie John‚s “Need Your Love So Bad”. Some titles such as “Feel So Nice” are perfect 12 bar blues, which will delight the purists, whilst others will appreciate with pleasure “Everybody’s Talking To Themselves”, which features the pure hip-hop vocals of  ‘First And Last’.

Listen carefully to the amazing “Welcome To Iraq”, and what can I say about “If I ever Get Home” with it’s impressive gospel chorus? What can I say about the seven minutes of “That’s what the blues is all about” whose title tells you what it’s about - the blues - with a few seconds of discreet homage to the master of the neck, Jimi Hendrix, slipped into the middle of the piece?  Breathtaking!

A big a very big album from Note Records. The bonus track offers you a live Recording (with the notable presence of the superb Kellie Rucker on harmonica) which will move any lover of electric blues.

Staggering, I tell you.

Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffe

FRENCH

Note : Coup de coeur

Quand les labels british nous envoient des galettes de ce style, on sent que ce n’est plus pour plaisanter, mais pour frapper un grand coup. Crâne rasé à la Eddie Martin, Tim Hain est aussi doué à la six cordes que son homologue britannique et il vous propose dans cette galette de 18 tires (oui, vous avez bien lu, dix huit titres !) de découvrir et prendre goût à ce Bleggae, mélange très personnel de Blues et Reggae (d’où le nom Bleggae) qui donne à ses compos, tout comme aux reprises, une sonorité nouvelle et particulièrement étonnante. Entouré de sa garde rapprochée, Roy Parsons et Pete Shaw (tous deux bassistes), de ‘Prince’ et de Leroy (tous deux batteurs), Tim Hain n’aligne pas moins de 22 invités, dont le chanteur Paul Cox, un excellent Robin Bibi à la guitare Wah Wah, la superbe Kit Hain au chant, et….j’en passe sinon cette chronique ne serait qu’une longue liste indigeste de noms et prénoms. L’album alterne astucieusement des reprises, comme cet hommage à Jimi Hendrix avec une version Bleggae de Wind Cries Mary, et les compos originales du sieur Tim. Parmi les reprises, signalons quelques perles, comme For What It’s Worth (Stephen Stills), Down Don’t Bother Me, du King Albert, ou Need Your Love So Bad, de Little Willie John. Des titres parfaitement calibrés au standard des 12 mesures, comme Feels So Nice, raviront les puristes tandis que d’autres apprécieront avec plaisir Everybody’s Talking to Themselves, avec First & Last aux vocaux, dans le plus pur style Hip-Hop. Tendez une oreille attentive à cet étonnant Welcome to Iraq ; et que dire de If I Ever Get Home, avec ces impressionnants chœurs gospel,… que dire des sept minutes de That’s What The Blues Is All About, dont le titre vous dit ce qu’il en est, du Blues, avec ces quelque secondes en hommage discret au maître du manche, Jimi Hendrix, glissées au milieu du morceau : époustouflant. Un grand, un très grand album proposé par Note Records.

Le Bonus vous offre comme dix huitième titre un enregistrement live (avec notamment la présence de la superbe Kellie Rucker à l’harmonica) qui ne laissera aucun amateur de blues électrique indifférent. Epoustouflant, vous ais-je dit.

Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer

New Music Genre is Born (and already has its classic album)!

14 May 2006. PARIS, France. - It's less than 12 hours ago that I've added to the playlist "Fine Time Child" - the opening track from Tim Hain & SunnySideUp's new album "One Man Went To Mojo", and it has already jumped directly to #1! The song, irresistibly beautiful and perfectly performed, sounds like nothing ever heard before. But "here's another clue for you all" - the same can be said about the WHOLE album, which celebrates the birth of a new music style, or rather a new music genre - "Bleggae" (as Fuzzbee Morse has called it). Who could expect Blues and Reggae to mix so naturally? Not a trace of experimenting - the album sounds as if this music genre always existed, but waited for Tim Hain to come and discover it. I won't be surprised to hear "Bleggae" played by other Blues and Reggae artists all around the world right after or even before the official release of "One Man Went To Mojo", which is set on July 10, 2006 (but you can order and receive it right away!). In the liner notes, Tim says about his daughter whose cry we hear in the opening track: "Jemima's recording career began when she was 10 minutes old". As for the album she's featured on, it became classic before it was pressed.

http://www.ms-blues.com

Freddy Celis - Rootstime - BELGIUM http://www.rootstime.be/ - June 2006
Tim Hain & The Sunnysideup - One Man Went To Mojo – Note Records – NCD 1009-2

Al weken prijkte het album "One Man Went To Mojo" op mijn lijstje van nog dringend te beluisteren cd's. Want wat ik over Tim Hain's album had gelezen loog er niet om. Enthousiaste recencies vielen hem in de afgelopen weken in de internationale pers ten deel en uiteraard wilde ik nu wel eens weten in hoeverre dit schijfje ook mijn oren zou weten te strelen. En ja, ik schaar me volledig achter de scribenten die reeds eerder hun liefde verklaarden aan de blues-raggae-roots van Hain. In maar liefst achttien songs, waarvan de meeste songs door hem zelf werden geschreven, roept Hain herrinneringen op aan de blues van Chicago en de reggae van Jamaica. En om dit alles eens wat kracht bij te zetten, covert Hain klassiekers als "The Wind Cries Mary" (J. Hendrix), "Need Your Love So Bad" (Little Willie John) en "For What it's Worth" van Stephen Stills en dit in gezelschap van o.a. Errol Linton, Luke Tunney, Pete Saunders, Clea Liewellyn, Andy Cortes, Pauline Henry, Gregg Brown, Kellie Rucker en vele anderen. Maar ik durf dit schijfje op basis van het heerlijke 'Bleggae' gevoel", de twanging rock-roots die op "One Man Went To Mojo" wordt geserveerd blind aan te schaffen. Een ster in wording, die tevens kan rekenen op een zeer goede begeleiding van zijn band, Sunny Side Up en bovendien nog eens duidelijk maakt dat de mix van blues en raggae voor liefhebbers van rootsmuziek één van de meest interessante en nog verder te ontginnen muziekdomeinen van dit moment is. Hopelijk moeten we niet lang wachten voor een opvolger van dit prachtige album "One Man Went To Mojo".

English translation by Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com/)

Ready weeks shone the album "One man gets used To Mojo" on my lijstje of still urgently because what I time to listen to cd's. concerning Hain's had read album lay not for. Enthusiastic recencies fell to him in the previous weeks in the international press and of course want I now sometimes know to what extent this disc could caress ears also my. And yes, I shears me entirely behind the scribenten who explained their love already more earlier to blues-raggae-roots of Hain. In no less than eighteen songs, of which most of the songs was written by him itself, Hain call herrinneringen to the blues of Chicago and the reggae of Jamaica. And all this once what covers strength to add, Hain klassiekers as "The wind Cries Mary" (J. Hendrix), "Need Your Love So prayed" (Little Willie John) and "For What it's Worth" of them Stills and this in the company of among other things Errol Linton, Luke Tunney, Pete Saunders, Clea Liewellyn, Andy Cortes, Pauline Henry, Gregg Brown, Kellie Rucker and a lot of others. But I dare this disc on the basis of the delicious ' Bleggae ' feeling ", the twanging rock-roots that on" One man gets used To Mojo is served blindly to buy. An ASTRE in gestation, which tevens can count on a very good accompaniment of its link, Sunny Side Up and moreover once more clear makes that the mix of blues and raggae for liefhebbers of rootsmuziek one of the most interesting and still further to develop music fields of this moment are. Hopelijk we do not have wait long for a continuator of this splendid album "One man get used To Mojo".

Freddy Celis - Rootstime

Really enjoying the CD (Tim Hain - "One Man Went To Mojo").
Have just returned from holiday so hope to do a review soon.

Ashwyn Smyth - Digital Blues <ashwyn.smyth@btinternet.com>

Tim Hain & Sunny Side Up – One Man Went to Mojo – Note Records

Full Review - Sept 2006

I have long been a lover of the bands and artists that seek to push the blues genre boundaries by injecting a dose of roots. Great acts such as Jerimiah Marques & the Blue Aces, Sam Kelly’s Station House or Errol Linton’s Blues Jibe to mention but a few. Now Tim Hain should be added to this list with his new CD of what he has christened “bleggae”. A fabulous mix of covers and original material, this CD has plenty to commend itself and is a turntable favourite at Digital Blues!

Tracks vary from great reggae style takes on standards such as ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and Stephen Stills great song, ‘For What It’s Worth’, Albert King’s ‘Down Don’t Bother Me’ or the dub style ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ to straight ahead blues numbers such as ‘That’s What the Blues Is All About’, ‘Feels So Fine’ or the Hookeresque ‘An Old Bluesman Never Dies’, written by Zakiya Hooker or ‘Feel So Nice’.

There is a wonderful take on Dorothy Moore’s classic, ‘Misty Blue’ which features Tim duetting with Clea Llewellyn and sees the song given a lover’s rock makeover. A corker!

For this CD, Tim has not only got himself a superbly tight but flexible band in Sunny Side Up but also boasts a guest list that is almost too large to fit on the CD! Names such as the aforementioned Errol Linton sit alongside vocalist Paul Cox & guitarists Andy Cortez and Robin Bibi, names perhaps more familiar than the 18 other musicians credited as special guests!

The end result is a CD that offers a great listening experience, some purist pleasing blues, some fabulously infectious West Indian rhythms which are so authentic that I am transported to palm fringed beaches and azure seas! Although there are, perhaps, one or two tracks which are some way off the standard set by the rest, overall this is undoubtedly a gem of a CD and I look forward to catching Tim live soon.

Tim Hain & Sunny Side Up is a nice album. ( you now call it bleggae;
in the 60's this type of fusion was called "rock steady" )

So it's in the Blue Ears 25 on heavy rotation now

http://www.blueEars.com

Thx for supporting our station with materials,

Graham L Hall / Blue Ears