Picture this- you’re on the highway, windows down and it’s a cool, early summer day. You’re going 90 mph and you have the music cranked. Sonic Mojo– Foghat’s upcoming 17th album is the record you’re blasting and it just feels right.
It’s been seven years since Foghat’s last record but they’re back with Sonic Mojo and a lot has changed since the release of their last record.
With new singer and guitarist Scott Holt replacing the recently-retired Charlie Huhn and a new tendon for legendary drummer Roger Earl, the band are firing on all cylinders and Sonic Mojo is a record loaded with memorable songs that are tailor-made for the road.
In early 2022, Earl tore a tendon and needed surgery but he didn’t want to stop touring and didn’t want Sonic Mojo to get pushed back so he recorded his drum parts before his surgery; he sounds just as good as ever and you would never know.
While there’s nothing in the vein of “I Just Wanna Make Love to You” or “Fool For the City,” it doesn’t take away from the album at all and there’s so many juicy, bluesy tracks that you’ll fall in love with, it’s hard to take it all in with just one listen.
From the open of “She’s A Little Bit Of Everything,” into “I Don’t Appreciate You” to “Mean Woman Blues” and “Drivin’ On,” the the record is a pure jam session and it feels like the band went into a room, plugged in and just recorded what came out. It’s a hell of a fun listen.
While “Drivin’ On” shows the band channeling their inner ZZ Top, they change it up with “Wish I’d Been There,” which is an ode to Hank Williams and shows Foghat going country. Lyrically and thematically, we’ve all said these exact same things about some artist or band we never got to see live and it’s completely relatable.
“Song For The Life” is a self-reflective track that focuses on life changes and is just fun, while “Time Slips Away” is a slow, bluesy track that you can zone out and chill to while their cover of BB King’s “She’s Dynamite” shows the band blending blues and country into one southern-fried track that’s just fun to listen to before closing with a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” that’s done to perfection, changing just enough of the music but still keeping true the essence of the song.
In the end, Foghat are back. Singer Scott Holt fits in perfectly and you would never guess this is his first album with the band- you’d think he’s been there for decades. Foghat come from the era where genres didn’t mean anything. Bands like The Eagles, Led Zeppelin and Queen were no strangers to putting out songs that didn’t fit into the rock category and many of their songs- if they were released today- may not be considered rock and roll. Foghat are no exception and a lot of Sonic Mojo epitomizes this.
With Sonic Mojo, Bryan Bassett’s guitar work is smooth and charming and shows him really letting loose and having fun. While Foghat doesn’t reinvent the wheel here, they keep it simple and do what works for them and they’ve created one of the strongest records of their 50-plus-year recording career.
Rating: 9/10
-Reggie Edwards