Jerry Reed - Hot A' Mighty (1973)

Hot A' Mighty is one of Jerry Reed's finest records -- which means it's also one of his most fun. Featuring the smash single "You Took the Ramblin' Out of Me," it also contains a number of other stunners. The opener, Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene," is such an item. Funked up, pickin' savvy, and greasy as hell, Leadbelly would have been proud of this white boy tearing it up like this while remaining sensitive to the song's original meaning. The chorus of backing vocalists gives it a real Muscle Shoals feel, too. There's a live medley of Chuck Berry tunes here that would normally seem like a way to fill an album but not for Reed, who worships Chuck. Reed is deeply moved by Berry's poetry and lays it out like the prophetic street life stuff it is. And of course there's Reed's picking, but he sticks close to Chuck's text rather than use his own funky style. He roars through portions of five tunes, including "The Promised Land," "Maybellene," "Johnny B. Goode," "School Day," and "Memphis Tennessee" -- not in that order. Reed's version of "Sweet Memories" is from outer space for him in that it is such a straight-laced honky tonk version, but his deep baritone pulls off the tune. The single is pure country-funk, rollicking from front to back with popping guitar strings that sound like an electric banjo. And then there's Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons," which has been radically reinvented to be a guitar jam-cum-funky soul tune, and Reed pulls it off without a hitch. Forget Tom Jones' version; this one tears it up.~Hot A' Mighty Review by Thom Jurek