'Composer of blues, hokum and Jungle Music', is how CW Stoneking describes himself in the cough text of his second album. Where 'hokum' refers to humorous blues with ambiguous lyrics. Stoneking is not the first to be influenced by pre-war blues and jazz. But no one went as far in copying the sound of old 78rpm records as the stylishly dressed white thirty-something from Australia. Together with his
… five-piece Primitive Horn Section, he puts down that ancient sound with such conviction and an eye for detail that you would swear to listen to an old New Orleans recording. Nothing could be further from the truth, all the songs except one (W. Houdini's Brave Son Of America) are original compositions and the performances were simply recorded in a local studio in Victoria, Australia. The comparison with Tom Waits is obvious but is politely dismissed by Stoneking. In an interview with Kindamuzik he responds as follows: 'I think I should take that as a compliment. But personally I think my songs are better than his. ' (MS)more