We have been following the development of Wily Bo Walker’s ‘The Rattlin Bone Theatre Show’ soundtrack album, which won’t be released until late 2024.
Wily Bo has been developing interest in the project by releasing some early singles, we really enjoyed the opener “Such a Night (He Got the Girl This Time) that was reviewed here on June 30th. This one, “Who Do You Love (Dontcha Love Me Baby), was released on August 11th. I have been tardy with my write up as I have been on holiday checking out some Madrid art galleries!
This one continues the New Orleans vibe with some fine blues vocals and a real drum beat straight from the land of voodoo. A great touch here is in the backing vocals, which perfectly harmonise the piece. It has a musical swagger and delivers a great version of Bo Diddley’s classic blues track, which lyrically is full of hoodoo imagery (a Mississippi folk magic belief) that fits Wily Bo’s project well.
“I got a brand new houseon the roadside,
Made from rattlesnake hide,
I got a brand new chimney made on top,
Made out of a human skull” (Ellas McDaniel a.k.a. Bo Diddley)
I believe the 2024 album will mix the original material with a few classics. Bo Diddley originally released this one in 1956, and, apparently, it was inspired by Muddy Waters 1954 “Hoochie Coochie Man.” Dealing with a track that made Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 500 songs of all time is a challenge, but it just fits Wily Bo and the whole album vibe so well.
You can download it here.
When he spoke to us about the project at the start of this year, Wily Bo said:
“ I played the songs live with a fourteen-piece band about ten years ago; it has this New Orleans kind of vibe, and the songs went down really well. It’s something I’m still working on, and it will get finished at some point. It is there in the pot, and you will see in the not-too-distant future a few singles coming from that project. I am starting to release material from it, and I have another artist commissioned to do the artwork.”
So, have a listen and enjoy!
By Stevie Ritson
