JOHN HIATT



By Dave Chaney

The Album
Master of Disaster

The Track
"Master of Disaster"

The Label
New West Records

Liner Notes
The masked man who wrote the breakthrough hit, "Thing Called Love" for Bonnie Raitt's 1989 multi-platinum comeback album, Nick of Time, is back in the ring for another round. Master of Disaster, his latest batch of songs compliments a huge body of quality AAA radio standards like "Slow Turning," "Drive South," "Have a Little Faith in Me" and "My Old Friend." You know his storied career. Along with the obvious Bonnie smash, his songs have also been covered by Iggy Pop ("Something Wild"), Buddy Guy ("Feels Like Rain"), Jeff Healy ("Angel Eyes"), Don Henley ("Through Your Hands") and B.B. King ("Riding With the King"), among loads of others. For Master of Disaster, something like John Hiatt's 21st album by now, the Indianapolis native son headed down from his adopted hometown of Nashville to Memphis' Ardent Studios to meet up with legendary producer Jim Dickinson and his sons, Cody and Luther of the North Mississippi Allstars. The natural result is a rootsy, soulful collaboration of trademark slow-burning Hiatt tunes but with a bit more of a folksy and bluesy take. The setting gives his songs ample room to work out. Cody and Luther are on drums and guitars, respectively, while veteran Muscle Shoals session man David Hood plays bass. Hiatt said of the new disc, "I see this almost like a Fathers and Sons type of project, similar to what those guys did in Chicago with the Chess legends and the young rockers. Jim's sons Luther and Cody brought in that youthful assertiveness, that rocking feeling, and Jim and I were the old guys, just grabbing hold to the grooves they were laying down and doing something else with them." The standout rockin' tracks are "Master of Disaster" and "Love's Not Where We Left It." For a more introspective Hiatt, check out "Cold River" and "Old School." Although the wrestling metaphor may well suit Hiatt, it is Jim Dickinson who is the big pro wrestling fan, hence the album cover. Hiatt just kicked off a 32-city tour with the North Mississippi Allstars as his backing band.

Site
www.newwestrecords.com

On
KFOG San Francisco
KBCO Boulder-Denver
KTCZ Minneapolis
KMTT Seattle
WXRV (The River) Boston
WCLZ Portland
WRSI Northampton/Greenfield/Springfield
WKZE Sharon CT/Poughkeepsie NY
WWVV Hilton Head SC/Savannah
KSQY (K-Sky) Rapid City SD
KPND Sand Point ID/Spokane
KRVI (River 95.1) Fargo
..and more!

Quote
"...It doesn't hurt that Hiatt has written some of the best melodies of his career, from the pop-blues hook of the title track to the finger-picking roll of the car song "Thunderbird," from the R&B ballad "Ain't Ever Goin' Back" to the Randy Newman-meets-Mississippi John Hurt ragtime of "Back on the Corner."
—Washington Post

"...features some of John Hiatt's best songwriting in years."
—Montreal Gazette

Tour
June 28 Vienna, VA
June 29 Knoxville
June 30 Columbus, OH
July 2 Bloomington, IN
July 3 Detroit
July 4 Chicago
July 5 Milwaukee
July 6 Boise
July 8 Boise
July 9 Portland, OR
July 10 Seattle
July 11 Vancouver, BC
July 13 Medford, OR
July 14 San Jose
July 16 Los Angeles
July 17 Phoenix
July 18 Tucson
July 20 Denver
July 21 Boulder, CO
July 23 Austin
July 24 Dallas
July 25 New Orleans
July 27 Fort Lauderdale
July 28 Tampa
July 29 Asheville, NC
July 30 Nashville
July 31 Atlanta
Aug 2 Pittsburgh
Aug 3 Glenside, PA
Aug 4 Oyster Bay, NY
Aug 9 Red Butte, UT
Aug 11 San Diego
Aug 12 Saratoga, CA
Aug 13 Sparks, NV

Retail
Master of Disaster is now in stores as of June 21.

Contact
Jeff Cook, New West Records