Cascade Blues Music Reviews Still In Search Of A Groove Jack Cook & the Phantoms of Soul Music Review Index

Music Review Reprint from the
July, 2001 BluesNotes
By Greg Johnson

• Bricks in my Pillow
• Saturday Blues
• Down South
• Poppa's On The Housetop
• Take Me To That Land Of Jazz
• Momma Didn't Raise No Crazy Kids
• Peach Orchard Momma
• Raggin' The Blues
• West Helena, AK
• Mailman
• Root Hog Or Die
• Highway 99
• About To Lose My Mind
• Coal Man

    When it comes to Pre-War Blues and Roots music. it's hard to deny the ability and career of Jack Cook.  Long time the Northwest's essential purveyor of such musical forms, his latest release, "Still In Search Of A Groove", is a compelling collection of Blues, Rags and good time Jug Band music.  Joined by a rotating array of sidemen, collectively known as the Phantoms of Soul, Cook groups himself with aces such as harmonica masters, Jim Wallace and John Marshall, not to mention the multi-instrumental talents of Johnnie Ward, perhaps the only other musician in the area to match the historical background of Cook himself.

    The song selection is wonderful, opting more for the obscure than the expected from masters like Leroy Carr, Roosevelt Sykes, Bumblebee Slim and Sleepy John Estes. His own composition, "Highway 99", evokes Delta style slide offering visions of Elmore James, but with a West Coast twist added to the lyrics.  Watch out,  because you're going to find yourself singing along after just a couple listens, especially on infectious numbers like "Papa's On The Housetop" or "Root Hog Or Die".

It's a fun release, steeped with traditional themes, or what the disclaimer on the CD jacket announces as "Downhome Miseries & Jumpin' Blues Obscurities."  Whatever you want to call them, "Still In Search Of A Groove" is going to make you feel good.

© 2001 Cascade Blues Association