Black Oak Arkansas
High On The Hog

I am sure that each album can be attributed a flavor. There are refined albums that taste of champagne and lobster, heavy albums with a metallic aftertaste, or tough albums with a sharp, spicy taste.

Now, try listening to "High On The Hog" and your taste buds will pick up whiskey, dust, sweat, and, why not, the pungent aroma of a warm 38 special.

Rude is thus the fragrance that generally characterizes Black Oak Arkansas, a band that roots the southern rock in the dark town of Black Oak, where the genius of Jim "Dandy" Magrum, vocal and spiritual leader, is born. His voice is raw, typical of someone who can't hold back with alcohol and cigarettes, perfect for a rough band that has a lot of energy to give and makes roughness the basic trademark of its Black Oak Arkansas.

The band typically produces two albums a year, which are completely ignored by critics and the public between 1971 and 1973, the year in which fortune seems to favor the musicians precisely with this "High On The Hog", which is certainly the most developed album of the band, without losing that genuine way of playing they had at the beginning and which seems to fade over time and discography.

The album in question is excellent, presenting many variations throughout its duration, I assure you it will not bore you. The baseline is a good southern rock that blends with a powerful hard-blues. However, there are surprises: the fantastic guitars that dominate the entire album are an example of this and "Moonshine Sonata" is the most successful peak.

Typical Skynyrd influences are recognizable here and there, enriched with a bit more madness and a more powerful caliber, and with "Swimin' In Quicksand", "Movin'", and "Why shouldn't I Smile" the guys excellently pass the test.

Thus, it goes from more classic songs to little rarities, namely the ballads. These are really something out of the ordinary, sweet and instrumentally refined, they also retain a very crude side thanks to Jim Dandy's accent and usual voice. In short, spectacular are "Back To The Land" and "High An' Dry" which even features atmospheric mandolins. Of course, like any respectable Southern-band, the two ballads are dedicated to the fantastic and untamed lands where the musicians grew up.

For energetic blues, Black Oak Arkansas always has time, giving the album another atmosphere with "Happy Hooker", for rock'n'roll they have plenty to offer: with the self-mocking "Jim Dandy", spiced up by vocalist Ruby Starr's voice, which, for a change, is anything but sweet or subdued.

The last stylistic turn we find with the last song, "Mad Man", in which Jim Dandy gives his best and where the rest of the band is clearly inspired by the musical imbalance of Little Feat, creating an atmosphere worthy of the song's name.

Let yourself be captured by the flavor of "High On The Hog," don't expect to savor a delicacy for the palate but claim it as your favorite digestif, a bit like grappa after dinner.