Wicked Grin is the twenty-eighth studio album from blues singer John P. Hammond. The album is a collection of songs written by Hammond's friend Tom Waits, who produced the project. It was released in March 2001 under Pointblank Records.

Wicked Grin
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 13, 2001
StudioPrairie Sun Recording Studios, Cotati, California; Alpha & Omega Recording, San Rafael, California
GenreBlues
Length55:40
LabelPointblank
ProducerTom Waits
John P. Hammond chronology
Long As I Have You
(1998)
Wicked Grin
(2001)
Ready for Love
(2003)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic88/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[3]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."2:19"Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits4:42
2."Heartattack and Vine"Tom Waits4:40
3."Clap Hands"Tom Waits3:59
4."'Til the Money Runs Out"Tom Waits4:02
5."16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six"Tom Waits4:37
6."Buzz Fledderjohn"Tom Waits4:14
7."Get Behind the Mule"Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits5:54
8."Shore Leave"Tom Waits2:58
9."Fannin Street"Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits, Huddie Ledbetter4:48
10."Jockey Full of Bourbon"Tom Waits3:32
11."Big Black Mariah"Tom Waits4:09
12."Murder in the Red Barn"Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits5:56
13."I Know I've Been Changed"Traditional2:19

Personnel edit

  • John P. Hammond - vocals, guitar; acoustic slide guitar and harmonica" on "Buzz Fledderjohn"
  • Tom Waits - guitar; plucked piano on "Buzz Fledderjohn"; piano on "Fannin Street"
  • Larry Taylor - bass
  • Augie Meyers - piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer, Vox organ, accordion
  • Stephen Hodges - drums, percussion
  • Charlie Musselwhite - harmonica

Critical reception edit

Q listed Wicked Grin as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.[4]

Charts edit

Chart Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[5] 19
Italian Albums (FIMI)[6] 30
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[7] 30
US Top Blues Albums (Billboard)[8] 3

References edit

  1. ^ "Wicked Grin reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "Wicked Grin- John Hammond". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  3. ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  4. ^ "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q. December 2001. pp. 60–65.
  5. ^ "John Hammond: Wicked Grin" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  6. ^ "Italiancharts.com – John Hammond – Wicked Grin". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "John Hammond Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "John Hammond Chart History (Top Blues Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2019.