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A lively strut into the blues.

Blues is not dead, not according to this album.  Sum’mo Chikan rises to the occasion and is chock full of entertaining music.

James Johnson got his name because as a boy he would talk to chickens, trying to learn their language.  Growing up, he was known as “Chikan Boy,” and the name stuck.  This Mississippi boy created his own guitar and started writing songs as he worked the Delta area where he lived.

“Freddy’s Thang,” the first song on the 12-track album, must be Chikan’s opening number when he performs.  It’s perfect for setting the tone of the blues music to come.  I’m sure audiences give him a standing ovation when the number ends and he then introduces himself.

Then there’s “Crystal Ball Eyes” which is about his love of his rooster and losing it.  It was lunchtime and he thought his mama had fried up the rooster.  He was so sad he couldn’t eat.  His rooster showed up and all was well.  “Yard Boy Blues” is about cleaning the yard, mowing, hedging and trimming and how he finds he can’t do it any more because there’s a wasp’s nest in one of the juniper bushes and a snake crawling out of its hole.

Sum’mo Chikan is a mixture of blues and a little bit of rock, very little rock. It’s not the first album recorded by this talented musician.  He’s had at least two other albums that have made his quite popular around the world.  Chikan is a natural and the blues just simply flow as he picks and strums the guitars he has made.  His style is unique although I could hear some Chuck Berry in the songs as I listened to the album.

If you want true blues music, then Sum’mo Chikan is for you.  Super Chikan’s faster numbers will wrap you in their charm and wittiness and his slower tunes will make you sit up and listen.  This is great music by a talented man.

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