With HONKIN' ON BOBO, Aerosmith takes a break from radio-ready fare to record an album that pays tribute to the blues influences that have always been close at hand for the group. Further enhancing the sound of this project is the presence of storied pianist Johnnie Johnson (on two tracks) and Jack Douglas, the producer for many of Aerosmith's classic 1970s albums. The result is the typical 'Smith sass and shimmy, with a contemporary sensibility applied to nuggets plucked from the songbooks of Willie Dixon (the sleazy strut "I'm Ready"), Sonny Boy Williamson (a rollicking "Eyesight to the Blind"), and Little Walter (the Howlin' Wolf-flavored "Temperature").

Throughout the record, Joe Perry and fellow fret-bender Brad Whitford play with a dirty, fuzz-guitar tone, perfectly complemented by Steven Tyler's equally rough-and-rowdy forays on the harmonica. As a result, these Boston natives do a stellar job with fiery renditions of Big Joe Williams's "Baby, Please Don't Go" and Mississippi Fred McDowell's "You Gotta Move," proving that they can still rock hard while playing the blues.

Recorded at The Boneyard and The Bryer Patch, South Shore, Massachussetts; Long View Farms Studio, North Brookfield, Massachussetts

Aerosmith:
Steven Tyler (vocals, harmonica);
Joe Perry (guitar);
Brad Whitford (guitar);
Tom HamiltonTom Hamilton (bass);
Joey Kramer (drums);

Additional personnel:
Tracy Bonham (vocals);
Johnnie Johnson (piano);


Producers:
Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Jack Douglas, Marti Frederiksen.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.