Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos - Swamp Slinger

Size: 114,8 MB
Time: 49:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Swamp Blues, Louisiana Blues
Art: Full

01. Cher Catin (3:22)
02. Opelousa's Blues (4:27)
03. French Quarter Rain (6:29)
04. Love Attack (4:39)
05. Devil Moon (6:11)
06. Two Lives (4:56)
07. Catahoula (4:30)
08. Chicago Train (4:51)
09. Backdoor Cajun Man (4:46)
10. Swamp Slinger (4:50)

This fine disc cooks and simmers with the flavors of the Louisiana swamps. Mel Melton has a slight rasp in his voice that adds that extra bit of spice that brings out the true flavors of this music. His voice isn't exceptional, but it is very well suited to the songs on the disc. The Wicked Mojos are a tight group that back him quite well, moving effortlessly from the slow blues of a song like "French Quarter Rain" through some real dust-ups like "Backdoor Cajun Man," making stops to go back to some Chicago blues and some fine zydeco raves. Melton's harmonica playing blends itself to fit the needs of the song, and the Wicked Mojos are given ample chances to display their licks. Used to seriously push the music to another level are slide guitar whiz Sonny Landreth and zydeco accordionist C.J. Chenier, both of whom Melton had once played with in a band called Bayou Rhythm. The multi-talented Melton has written eight of the 11 songs here, reflecting the variety of his musical influences. Two of the other songs are traditional, and the remaining song is the wonderful "Devil Moon," written by Randy Friel, who contributed production and some welcome organ, accordion, and clavinet playing. This is a disc to bring back (if you've been there) or to introduce you to the rhythms of the swamps of Louisiana. ~Bob Gottlieb

Swamp Slinger MP3
Swamp Slinger FLAC

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Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos - Mojo Dream

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:29
Size: 131.6 MB
Styles: Louisiana blues
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[1:02] 1. Wicked
[3:57] 2. Rj's Boogie
[4:56] 3. Two-Legged Spider
[5:25] 4. Cookie Boy
[4:58] 5. Lake Charles Girl
[5:03] 6. Pedal To The Metal
[4:03] 7. Sitting In The Dark
[4:41] 8. Mojo Party
[6:26] 9. River Of Blues
[3:59] 10. Drivin' Me Insane
[3:29] 11. That's Alright
[3:40] 12. Grand Texas
[5:44] 13. Summer Moon Blues

Mel Melton is already a fixture in the Louisiana pantheon of music heroes for his collaboration with buddy Sonny Landreth in writing one of the great songs of the modern era, "Congo Square." Add to that the fact that Melton is also the only sure-enough zydeco harmonica player on the planet, and you have reason enough to be excited about the music on Mojo Dream. It's is an album of what Mel Melton calls Mojo Music. It's the sum of Melton's musical sojourn through time and America. Melton was born and bred in North Carolina, but in his life's journey, he's lived in the Cajun/Creole country of Southwest Louisiana, where he immersed himself in the region's culture becoming fluent in Cajun French and the region's musical idiom. He played in a number of Louisiana bands, including Bayou Rhythm along with slide guitar superstar Sonny Landreth and C.J. Chenier, and the Shag Street Band with Landreth and Paul Black. He was also a sideman in Zachary Richard's band. He played on occasion with most of the major zydeco figures including Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco and Rockin' Dopsie.

From Louisiana Melton moved to Austin, Texas, where Texas blues and the Austin music scene of the 1970's heavily influenced him. Then he moved on to Chicago where he operated a Cajun restaurant and gigged with musicians passing through the city from Louisiana. He's now cranking out his brand of music, Mojo Music. It's an amalgam of American music that's totally original.

Mojo Dream mc
Mojo Dream zippy

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Mel Melton & The Wicked Mojos - Papa Mojo's Roadhouse

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 43:09
Size: 98.8 MB
Styles: Zydeco, Louisiana blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:01] 1. Zydeco Razzle
[5:36] 2. Papa Mojo
[4:45] 3. Juke Joints And Honkytonks
[4:41] 4. Missing You Baby
[0:10] 5. Ils Sont Parti Intro
[4:03] 6. Ils Sont Parti
[4:33] 7. Funky Nola
[4:35] 8. Pray For Day
[4:54] 9. Mama Mamou
[2:58] 10. What'd I Say
[3:02] 11. Bunkie Boogie
[1:44] 12. Song For Laurel

A North Carolina native, Mel went to Lafayette, Louisiana in the summer of 1969 to visit a college friend and play a little music before going back to UNC. His plans changed when he became totally immersed in the rich culture and physical beauty of southwest Louisiana. He moved permanently to Lafayette at the end of the summer and began playing in a band he co-founded with Sonny Landreth, the Louisiana slide guitar-playing superstar.

To help support his new musical career, Mel took a series of jobs in the best Cajun restaurants in the city and discovered a new talent and another part of Cajun lifestyle, Louisiana cooking. Over the next few years he honed his musical and cooking skills, eventually becoming a well known Cajun chef. At the same time, he was becoming known as a singer and harmonica player specializing in a zydeco style of harp playing that has become his trademark.

Mel arrived in Austin, Texas in 1972 at the start of the Austin music scene. He took a job at a BBQ joint near Lake Travis as a dishwasher, but eventually moved up the ranks to cook. The restaurant happened to be a hang out for several European chefs who worked at the resorts situated on Lake Travis and Melton was offered a cook position at one of them. While there, he joined Austin’s Chef Association and after several years, became chef at the Tarry House, a private club frequented by many Texas luminaries such as Walter Cronkite, Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, and many Texas politicians including the Governor, who held a weekly staff lunch at the club.

In the early 80’s Sonny and Mel formed the band “Bayou Rhythm”, adding C.J. Chenier to the lineup. The band headlined shows nationally and also opened shows for a number of legendary musicians including: Ray Charles, B.B. King, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Dave Edmonds, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. During his time with Bayou Rhythm, Mel was challenged to a gumbo cook-off by Rockin’ Dopsie at the 1986 American Music Festival in Chicago. The event was so well received that Melton decided to always cook for the band’s gigs and his peerless Cajun cooking quickly become a signature twist to his shows.

Papa Mojo's Roadhouse mc
Papa Mojo's Roadhouse zippy

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