Omar & The Howlers - Bamboozled (Live in Germany 2005)

Release Notes
Bamboozled - Live in Germany captures one of America's most respected blues bands live in Göttingen in the fall of 2005. For more than 30 years, Mississippi native Kent "Omar" Dykes has led this never-say-die trio, making them a mainstay of the Austin, Texas music scene. Clifford Antone, head of Austin-based Antone Records, once said of Dykes: ''Blues is not a kind of music that you can just learn. It is a feeling. You have to have roots, usually coming from great influences in music. Omar projects that when he is playing.''
Dykes' roots are all over Bamboozled. The songs span his entire recording career. And whether it's with his Bo Diddley-influenced "Magic Man," the John Lee Hooker-Tribute "Boogie Man" or in his vocal lineage, which can be traced back directly to Howlin' Wolf's midnight moan - Omar Dykes is not ashamed to admit he's part of a tradition. He plays blues, boogie and rock 'n' roll, without any musical frills or cheap showmanship. One might be tempted to think he'd get bored following this straight and narrow path for more than three decades. Exactly the opposite is true. As he has grown older and dealt with personal tragedy in recent years, Dykes' music has become deeper and more intense. This we hear most clearly on two knockout slow blues numbers, "East Side Blues" and "South Congress Blues." Here, Dykes' guitar work sends shivers up the spine.
The title of this CD/DVD release - "Bamboozled" - is a song from the Howlers' last studio CD, also included in this live set. Considering the band's authenticity, you couldn't have chosen a less appropriate name. To quote Clifford Antone once again: "You can count on Omar for the real thing and I think that's why people keep coming back year after year, to hear the real thing." Recorded in an intimate club setting in front of a small gathering of his most loyal fans, Bamboozled documents more than just an enjoyable night of blues. It allows us to peer into the soul and to consider the impressive career of a true master.

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Pass: jazzbluesclub.com