Potato Hole is Booker T. Jones’ first solo album in almost two decades. This is cause for celebration. Even better, his backing band is the Drive-By Truckers. Even better, Neil Young plays guitar on nine of the ten tracks. On paper, it’s one of the greatest supergroups of all time. There is no possible way it could go wrong.
However, Potato Hole never quite takes off like it should. The musicianship is excellent, the band has chemistry, but there’s something missing. The MGs are the missing ingredient. It almost seems unfair to compare Booker and the DBTs to the MGs, but when you had the tightest backing band in the history of recorded music, it’s hard to top yourself.
Jones’ playing is still top notch. His B3 Hammond organ floats above the grungy guitars angelically. The lines and riffs he plays are quite complex for someone over 60 years old. He hasn’t really lost a step. The grooves are deep, especially on the opening track, “Pound it Out.” The simple riffing of Young and the DBTs are balanced by Jones’ more intricate playing. “Get Behind the Mule” is all Jones. He starts playing the basic melody of the song and the others come in one at a time. Although there are occasional guitar solos, Jones’ organ is constant, providing the bedrock of the music.
Unfortunately, Potato Hole has a few flaws. The guitars are mixed a bit too high, and sometimes they drown out Booker’s organ. This is a problem, because this is Booker’s record and people are buying it to hear his organ. Another problem is that every song is instrumental. Yes, Booker T and the MGs were an instrumental act, but “Hey Ya!” needs a vocal. It starts out promisingly, with the band playing the riff at a leisurely pace. It takes a couple seconds for it to register, which is a brilliant move because it allows the listener to hear an overplayed song with fresh ears. Booker T. does an admirable job of capturing Andre 3000’s vocal with his Hammond, but it’s missing a spark. Booker T. is a fantastic musician, but you can’t replace Andre 3000’s charisma. It feels wrong hearing this song without Andre telling us to shake it like a Polaroid picture. A vocal track thrown in would really help to break the monotony, especially since he has three great singers in his backing band: Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood and Shonna Tucker, not to mention Neil Young.
It’s hard to criticize Potato Hole too much, because it’s awesome to hear Booker T. Jones in 2009. He is a relic from one of the richest periods in American music, and very few musicians can craft a groove like he can. It almost feels unfair to compare Potato Head to his work with MGs, but he set the bar unreasonably high. Even with its flaws, Potato Head is still worth a listen. The DBTs clearly had fun making this record, and it’s great to have Booker T. Jones back. Hopefully he won’t wait another 20 years before releasing another album.