It’s taken six years and a shiny gold Fender Jazzmaster, but C.W. Stoneking has gone electric, and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t carry it out with aplomb.

Is there anything the man can’t do?Tongue-in-cheek humour? Check. Dust-blown troubadour sensibility? Check. Legitimately pull off wearing a cardigan? Check. Authenticity and commitment to the sound carried through the entire process forGon’ Boogaloo: the songs were recorded directly to tape and mixed live.

From the spoken-sung intro of ‘How Long’ to the instructional “new dance” of ‘The Zombie’ – a kind of ‘Monster Mash’ for the modern age – it’s clear King Hokum is back and as fascinating as ever. ‘Get On The Floor’ is an absolute banger, playing into the mournfully offbeat ‘The Thing I Done’. The dancehall jive of ‘Good Luck Charm’ is twinkling fun, but ‘I’m The Jungle Man’ is a rare flat moment that just doesn’t quite stick amidst an otherwise rock-solid record. He’s soon back to artful storyteller though, spinning tales with ‘On A Desert Isle’, while ‘We Gon’ Boogaloo’ plays out the album with jangly rhythm.

Stoneking is a master of the blues and Gon’ Boogaloo is a step forward in both sound and story. The legend of C.W. Stoneking continues to entertain and delight.

4.5/5.

Gon’ Boogaloois out through Hokum / Caroline.

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