High on the Hog 1973 Album

Black Oak Arkansas

Despite the ridiculous cover, this is easily their best studio record since the debut. One of the things I like about it is, the songs – by and large – are short and to the point - unlike the two previous studio albums, where they often got lost in a bunch of stoned, hippie, redneck-isms. Think Grand Funk in their pop phase but with a very pronounced and eclectic Southern/country vibe. “Jim Dandy” introduced Ruby Starr – her burly, blues-derived pipes perfectly compliment Mangrum’s un-tethered growl – while the rest of the group barrels forth full-speed ahead with nary a hitch in their groove. IMHO, easily the group’s catchiest, most involved, and inventive tune. Starr is conspicuously absent for the rest of the album, which is a bit of a shame – with sexed-up titles like “Red Hot Lovin” and “Happy Hooker”, one would have thought she could have ably spiced up those lusty affairs as well, but it was not to be….But the good thing is, the band is in a less serious mood than on the two previous studio efforts – they even include an instrumental, of all things: a quirky track called “Moonshine Sonata”, which proved the band had not lost their sense of humor. The ending “Mad Man” is another relative tour-de-force – not blow-you-away great, but enough technical prowess, moody paranoia, and related drama from Jim Dandy to warrant repeated listens.