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Neal's magic finally captured

Hoodoo Moon
Hoodoo Moon
By Kenny Neal

Alligator Records: 1994

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This review first appeared in the October 28, 1994 issue of the North County Times.

Just one song off Kenny Neal's new album – and it doesn't even matter which one – is all you need to hear to know he's back on top. After several so-so albums that failed to capture the spirit of Neal's live shows, "Hoodoo Moon" finally has songs and playing good enough to surpass the excitement that surrounded the release of his 1987 debut "Bio on the Bayou" (later retitled "Big News From Baton Rouge" when reissued by Alligator).

The guitar leads snap a little more here than on previous albums, the horn riffs are a little tighter, and Neal's singing has that much more passion to it.

Neal is a singular talent, as stellar on harmonica as on guitar. He's also a first-rate vocalist, with a rich bass voice. Add to that Neal's ability to write striking melodies, and you have one of the best young blues artists on the scene – on a par with the better-known Robert Cray and Joe Louis Walker.

Anyone who has seen Neal live with attest to his talent. "Hoodoo Moon" does what previous albums have mostly not done: Capture the magic that is the blues of Kenny Neal.