2022 – Big Legal Mess
Records
By Phillip Smith; Oct.1, 2022
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com
The tale of Herman Hitson’s
nearly eighty-year-old life would make for an intriging documentary. Born in Philadelphia, and raised in Georgia,
his past is a ripe forest of juicy stories. Hitson shared an apartment with Jimi
Hendrix and was key in persuading him to sing. He toured the chitlin circuit with James
Brown, The Drifters, Wilson Pickett, Jackie Wilson, Joe
Tex, and Bobby Womack. After
going through some rough patches and serving time, Hitson picked up a job
in Florida, working the sugar cane fields with a flame-thrower as a snake-clearer. With Let
the Gods Sing, Hitson breathes a new life into several of his most familiar
R&B songs and throws in a few brilliant covers as well. Recorded and mixed at Bruce Watson’s Delta-Sonic
Sound in Memphis, Tennessee, this funky and psychedelic nine-track treasure
is co-produced by Watson and Will Sexton. Behind Hitson on vocals and guitar is The
Sacred Soul Sound Section comprised of Sexton on guitar, Mark
Edgar Stuart on bass, Will McCarley on drums and percussion, and Al
Gamble on organ.
Wafts of psychedelia gently roll in for the title-track as preparations are laid out for a grand spiritual rock-and-roll ceremony. Spacy guitar licks and swirling chords from the organ set the stage for Hitson, in the guise of a musical medicine-man, to stare past the clouds and fearlessly command the Gods to sing. Hitson’s voice seems to bluntly speak from experience as he covers Willie Dixon’s “Back Door Man”. Gamble tackles this one like Ray Manzarek of the Doors and peppers this classic blues song with a smidge of the Sixties LA rock. “Feast of Ants” is a trippy five-and-a-half-minute-long instrumental. Written by Hitson and The Sacred Soul Sound Section, this delicious jam is drenched in a funky groove and splattered with mind-altered sounds. The buttery rhythm of “Suspicious” greases up the speakers as Hitson breaks loose on this intoxicating jam often credited to Hendrix by mistake. “Yampertown Funk” brings this shindig to a close. This glorious R&B instrumental is soaked in the sounds of Memphis Stax and laced with amazing electric six-string.
Let the Gods Sing grabbed my attention from the first listen and has not released its grip yet. Hitson steps up to each and every song with the energy of a young and robust James Brown, as he guides this tight-knit band skyward.
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For more information about Herman Hitson, visit this website : https://hermanhitson.com
For
more information about Music Maker Foundation, visit this website : https://musicmaker.org
