By 1993, four decades of fang-incheek howling had left Screamin’ Jay Hawkins with a weathered, salty bellow that consumed any song that strayed within a few feet of him. It’s the best thing about this late period set of swinging R&B romps.
I Shake My Stick… is a consistent album, making it easier to enjoy than the patchworks of pastiches that Hawkins sometimes released. But, between the verses, where the singing stops, there’s an obvious void that his band cannot fill, despite their sterling efforts.
Lyrically, although he made his name with horror novelties, Hawkins is best when he plays it straight. That’s the case with the big highlight, a 50s-style R&B ballad, The Rose. It’s a tearjerker which proves that Hawkins really could get all emotional on us when he felt like it. In My Heart is a monstrous, brooding track that sees him working himself into a screaming fit, to great effect.
Elsewhere there’s undercooked filler: limp vamps getting by on Hawkins’ vocal charisma alone. It’s good fun overall, but these occasional weary moments stop it from being anything more.
