Monkey Junk - Tiger In Your Tank

Son House said about his music that he's "talkin' about the blues, not about some monkey junk". So, Monkey Junk is not a strictly blues ensemble, but it's hard to find a good blues band in the 00s anyway ;) Monkey Junk is an award-winning trio and they have just one CD out, 2009's "Tiger In Your Tank". I tend to like it ;)


As they say, their music is a mix of R&B, soul boogie and funk. Well, okay... There's even one pop tune which is a sure low-point of the album, but in overall "Tiger In Your Tank" is very good. The band consists of two guitars and drums (just like Hound Dog Taylor's classic House Rockers) and it works very well. Their Muddy Waters cover, "Tiger In Your Tank", is among my favorite contemporary blues tracks. It just rocks ;) So does "Leave the Rest to You".

There ain't much to tell about this album. Songs are rather short and straight-to-the-point without any improvisations or long solos. Vocals are quite ordinary and typical for a pop band, not a blues one, but they don't sound that bad. Not that I hate the White Stripes but finally we have a contemporary band not influenced by them ;) They are as far to the blues as the Stripes, I was hoping for a more traditional brand of American music. It'll be interesting to see Monkey Junk evolving. Oh, and the cover art's good, ain't it?