This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“Nothing’s gonna stop the boogie man,” growls bluesman Omar Dykes on the title track of new album. He’s singing about John Lee Hooker, but he could just as easily be referring to himself.
For nearly 30 years, pompadoured troubadour Dykes and his Howlers have been an institution on the Austin, Tex., scene. And they show no signs of slowing down on Boogie Man, his 16th disc by my count. With a deep, gritty drawl that owes plenty to Howlin’ Wolf and a flamboyant, string-yanking guitar style inspired by decades of Texas blues greats, Dykes lays down another 11 slabs of greasy juke-joint blues and roots-rock. A list of Austin VIPs like Double Trouble, Alejandro Escovedo and more drop by to pay respects and lend a hand — not that Omar needs it. As the hip-swiveling grooves and wailing solos of Boogie Man make abundantly clear, he’s still rarin’ to go. I dare you to try to stop him.
