Screamin’ Jay Hawkins - At Home With Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

Screamin’ Jay was a one-in-a-million performer. Or, to put it another way: if you can handle more than an hour of his bug-eyed blues operatics in one sitting, you’re probably just as nuts as he was. This reissued 1958 album boasts several gems, including the ubiquitous I Put A Spell On You, a deliciously stupid Ol’ Man River and a version of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, where Hawkins’ booming baritone voice swoops to unbelievable depths. The best material lies in the 13 bonus cuts, however. On the original album’s weaker songs, you’re left wishing that the band would play a little less straight, as the joke (normal backing meets scenery-chewing vocals) quickly wears thin. But, on the bonuses, the backing does go some way towards matching Hawkins’ insanity. Leiber & Stoller’s Alligator Wine is like a Hammer Horror reading of Mannish Boy, while the manic blues of Frenzy pre-empts Tom Waits. The biggest surprise, however, is the reworked You Put The Spell On Me, from 1974. A slow, understated recording, it gives Hawkins room to sing straight (well, almost). His resulting vocal, while still melodramatic, is hauntingly beautiful.