George Thorogood and the Destroyers - Half a Boy, Half a Man

George Thorogood and the Destroyers:

George Thorogood (vocals, guitar); Hank Carter (vocals, guitar, saxophone, keyboards); Bill Blaugh (bass); Jeff Simon (drums, percussion).

Despite their renown, Thorogood and his Destroyers are the ultimate bar band. Instead of straining to replicate their beloved blues and rock & roll influences, they incorporate them into a sound that's rootsy but not reverential. As ever, the tunes on HALF A BOY/HALF A MAN are highly functional as party music, designed to be blasted out of jukeboxes and car radios. The straightforward rhythms of the Destroyers are the perfect backing for Thorogood's thick, bold slide guitar work and raspy, auto mechanic vocal style.

This man knows where to go for material, dipping into the Willie Dixon songbook for his blues, tapping Solomon Burke for soul, and digging deep for Chuck Berry's little-known minor-key killer "Hellbound Train." While he stretches a touch by covering Nick Lowe for the title tune, Thorogood is squarely in his comfort zone on the frat-rock chestnut "Double Shot of My Baby's Love."

Producers: Terry Manning, the Delaware Destroyers.

Additional personnel: Waddy Wachtel (guitar). [CD Universe]

Capitol/EMI finally dropped George Thorogood after 1997's Rockin' My Life Away stiffed, so where else was there for him to go than CMC International, the label that doesn't care if their artists keep remaking the same record for years on end? That's exactly where Thorogood and his Destroyers landed in 1998 and they released their first record for the label, Half a Boy, Half a Man, the following spring. Not surprisingly, there are no surprises anywhere on the album, unless you count the fact that it was a good idea for him to tackle Nick Lowe's great rocker "Half a Boy, Half a Man." No, the album serves up the blooze-n-boogie that Thorogood fans love and his detractors have come to despise. The difference is, Terry Manning's production keeps things moving, resulting in his liveliest record in nearly a decade. Unfortunately, the album isn't blessed with the strong material that characterized Rockin' My Life Away, but that album didn't have the raw, visceral edge that this album does. And when it comes to rockin' blues, sometimes it's better to have better sound than better songs. [AMG]

The Best of his Career.

]This is the Thorogood album I've been waiting for. I've been the world's biggest Thorogood fan [apart from Toxxy that is!] for twelve years now and this one just blew me away.

Producer Terry Manning is back in the fold and he gives this album a gritty, raw feel, with the slide guitar right up in your face. The best tracks are "Just Passin' Thru" and "Hellbound Train" but there isn't a dud here. There's slow blues, boogie, pop, and even country.

This is by far the best work George has ever done. [Amazon user review]