The state of Texas has produced an incredible number of truly great rock and blues bands over the years, but the usual stories of dues paying milk truck tours don't apply to Dallas' MojoLingo.  These boys play when they want to, and they pick their dates according to what moves them. They took the same approach with their recent CD release, which was recorded at Willie Nelson's Perdinales Studios in Austin. The band's incendiary guitarist and songwriter Rick Johnson sent a tape to Double Trouble bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton with an invitation to record MojoLingo's first album of original material, and with one listen Chris and Tommy were hooked. The same might well happen to you, because this band churns out a very special brand of Texas Funk & Blues that ignites audiences and keeps 'em lit til the lights come up for last call.

Lead singer Phillip Barnes has been singing ever since his Momma dragged him to church and volunteered him for the choir when he was 8 years old. His raw, soulful voice has been compared to another great singer, Bob Tench, who recorded two stellar albums with guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck. It's a particularly fitting comparison, since MojoLingo's guitarist Rick Johnson has inspired critics to refer to him as, "One of the few blues and rock guitarists playing today whose work stands apart from the glut of Texas guitarists who often irreverently tread on the sacred ground laid by their dead heroes." Despite such accolades, Johnson keeps a low profile, preferring to live in Houston when not working with the band, and in his words, "I only come out to play."

Johnson is also the band's sole tunesmith, and he has created a unique style that he refers to as Funk & Blues.  MojoLingo has run through drummers and bass players like quarterbacks at the Cowboys' spring training camp, because as Barnes says, "Many are called, few are chosen. Rick and I know what we want and I can tell you we won’t stop ‘til we get it right.’ They're hard to find but Adam Baker on bass, Larry Lynn on drums and Larry McKenna on keyboards, harmonica and guitar provide the foundation for MojoLingo’s live performances.