Juke with John the Conqueror
By VINCENT HARRIS
For the Herald-Journal
Listening to John the Conqueror’s 2014 album, “The Good Life,” is like stumbling upon the hottest juke joint in Jackson, Miss., on its sweatiest night.
The trio, named after an African-American folk hero, gets down to business on every song. Singer-guitarist Pierre Moore slings out greasy, muscular riffs and solos that skip the polish and head right for the gut, and the rhythm section (bassist Ryan Lynn and drummer Michael Gardner) play sharp, nimble changes that are downright menacing in their intensity.
In today’s musical climate, it’s like finding a lost Junior Kimbrough album in a sea of manufactured pop.