One of the things I love about the Blues Project is that you can spin their Long-Plays a million times and come up w/ something new at each turn. The bands third and final album, 1968's 'Planned Obsolescence', being no exception, the track that gets me upon further review has to be their version of 'Mojo Hannah'.
Originally cut in 62' on Mowtown by Henry Lumpkin (Written by the fabulous Andre Williams), 'Mo Jo Hanna'(As is its original title) has been co-opted by many a headliner including Marvin Gaye, Esther Phillips, Larry Williams, and Aaron Neville to name a few. Probably the most lauded version in record circles though would be the Tammi Lynn version, as 'Mojo' lends itself well to the trappings of Soul.
Now, I have to admit that any song which traffics in Black Magic invariably "had me at hello".
While, not a huge fan of Lynns take, I can totally get behind the increasingly frantic pace that the 'Project' sets for their soul stab at 'Mojo'. Even down several of the integral members which made 'Projections' the fave that it is, 'Planned Obsolescence' manages to be a fitting swan-song for a tri-state area band that proved the states were just as progressive as the European shores when it came to improvisational music.
"She built up a strong reputation in the southern land. On Saturday night about twelve o'clock she Hoodoo's the Voodoo man"
Mojo Hannah - Blues Project
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