Jook Bourke
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Jook Bourke

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"Review of "My Mojo's Just Too Weak""

Writen by Graham Clarke

Jook Bourke is a Florida-based blues singer/songwriter whose lyrics reflect a witty look at life and love. His latest release, My Mojo’s Just Too Weak, features some clever songwriting and acoustic guitar work. Take “That Was It?,” for example. Bourke is on life support, reflecting over his life, what he did do, didn’t do, and should have done, and being disappointed in his overall body of work, if you will, only to be snatched from death’s door at the last moment. It’s a darkly humorous look into our own lives as well as Bourke’s, and there are a lot of shoulda, coulda, wouldas for all of us over the years. The real laugher is “You’re Driving Me Crazy,” an hilarious ode of sorts to, of all things, Bourke’s cat, featuring the lyric, “If I’d known you’d get this big or live this long/Fifteen years ago I woulda got a dog,” a line many cat owners can relate to. Another keeper is “I Must Be Gone,” about a night out with the girls where nobody notices poor Jook until it’s time to pay the tab and go fetch the car in the rain. “Stuck Being Me” is another song about dreams that didn’t work out, where Bourke sings about wanting to be an astronaut or a football player as a youth, but that he ended up “stuck being me.” “It’s Already Too Long” is another most guys can relate to, forever waiting for your date to get ready. My favorite is “You Could Just Be Ahead Of Your Time,” about being out of step from everyone else in life. According to Bourke, if this sounds familiar, maybe you’re just ahead of the curve. To go along with his knack for witty and insightful lyrics, Bourke is also a great acoustic guitarist and singer. This disc will put a big smile on your face if you give it a chance. - Blues Bytes


"BLEWZZMAN Review "My Mojo's Just Too Weak""

It's quite a challenge for a band or a musician to get me to listen to and review a CD that's a style of blues music that normally is not my listening preference. On the other hand, it's quite an accomplishment for them when the CD impresses me. "MY MOJO'S JUST TOO WEAK" succeeded at both - it met the challenge and overwhelmingly impressed me.
It's such a pleasure for a reviewer when the product being reviewed is so talent laden. This CD consists of one right after another of very interesting, sometimes humorous, often truthful and always cleverly written songs. On "MY MOJO'S JUST TOO WEAK", JOOK BOURKE not only wrote all eleven tracks, he also does all the vocals, plays the harmonica and guitars and constructed all the drum loops. Amazing! And, that's just not my reaction, that's the description of the results.
On the title track, "MY MOJO IS JUST TOO WEAK", JOOK sings about the pages in his little black book turning yellow and shriveling up. Seeking help from 'Madam Clara' he gets told that "there ain't no help for him, his Mojo is just too weak.
"WOULD YOU HELP ME THROUGH THIS LIFE?" is a song about a man contemplating leaving his woman. As he seeks advice from his brother he is told that she is perfect for him and "she could help him through this life, be there when he gets old and hold him when it gets cold. When he runs into this lady shortly afterward he follows his brothers advice by stating to her that HE can help HER through this life, be there for HER when SHE gets old and hold HER when SHE gets cold.
On "YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY", after two minutes of JOOK ranting about how crazy his woman is apparently driving him, the last thirty seconds reveal that it isn't his woman he is singing about at all. The revelation that he is singing about his cat becomes quite evident when he states that "If I had known you'd get this big and live this long, 15 years ago I'd have gotten a dog instead."
There is no question that "IT'S ALREADY TOO LONG", is my favorite track on this CD. The song is about a man waiting for his woman to get ready as they are about to head out somewhere. The lyrics are so absolutely hilarious and candidly clever that I, at one point considered writing them out in full, right here in the review. However, I think they will be more enjoyable to you when heard being sung by JOOK BOURKE himself.
It's this type of singing, song writing, and guitar playing that may someday actually make me a fan of acoustic, roots type blues music. Well done JOOK! Apparently, there's nothing weak at all about your mojo.
- BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN" LAURO, © SEPTEMBER, 2004


"Minor 7th Review of "My Mojo's Just Too Weak""

"My Mojo's Just Too Weak" 2004 "My Mojo’s Just Too Weak", clearly reflects the magic behind Jook Bourke’s lyrics as a singer-songwriter and his strength as an acoustic blues guitarist and harp player. Bourke blends crisp textures and rich harmonies to this unique style of acoustic blues. He strays from the standard 12 bar format, while maintaining vital blues elements like gospel, rock and country. "My Mojo’s Just Too Weak" contains eleven tracks of storytelling acoustic blues, focused on the humorous and ironic side of living and loving. Some fine examples are, "That Was It?", "I Must Be Gone", and "Stuck Being Me". This new release is an outstanding collection of original blues, like a combination of Keb' Mo and Little Feat, Bourke’s CD is absolutely infectious. - Pamela Dow


"Tom Hyslop's Review of "My Mojo's Just To Weak"

My Mojo's Just Too Weak is a strong country blues-tinged self-release from Jook Bourke,a Florida resident originally from Pittsburgh. Though his resonator guitar parts come straight out of Mississippi,Bourke has updated the style with a drum machine and modern melodies for the vocal lines-a nice match for his insightful,humorous lyrics. Each song lays out a true-blue situation,elaborating on a fleeting notion (I Must Be Gone),keen observation (She Laid It On),or trenchant feeling (It's Already Too Long). It's a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable disc. - Blues Revue


""JUST A MINUTE" Review"

As the saying goes, history does repeat itself. Just about three and a half years ago I wrote these words
........."This CD consists of one right after another of very interesting, sometimes humorous, often truthful and always cleverly written songs"......about a disc I was reviewing - "MY MOJO'S JUST TOO WEAK" - by JOOK BOURKE. Well, here I now sit, reviewing "JUST A MINUTE", the latest JOOK BOURKE release, and the best way to describe this disc is to simply say it again - "This CD consists of one right after another of very interesting, sometimes humorous, often truthful and always cleverly written songs". When quality is involved, consistency is a beautiful thing.

On "JUST A MINUTE", JOOK BOURKE once again takes topical events such as hurricanes, and every day happenings like answering the telephone, and turns them into eleven masterfully written and superbly delivered original songs. Of course, he's also does all the vocals, plays the guitars, bass, hand drum and harmonica and created all the drum loops.

The title track, "JUST A MINUTE", is one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard. The lyrics simply state that by seeing his woman's smile or hearing her voice - even if just for a minute - is all he needs to soothe his blues. JOOKS singing of these remarkable lyrics make them sound even more remarkable. It took me a good 25 minuets to listen to this 2:47 track. If this song ever gets discovered and recorded by a mainstream artist I guarantee it will top the charts. This is the only track that featured another musician and CHRISTIAN HOWES did a beautiful job on the violin.

Living in the area where notorious hurricanes "FRANCIS" and "JEAN" struck within a two week period, JOOK'S unfortunately got experiences to relate on a track called "IT'S A HURRICANE". Unfortunately, I live in the same area and just talking about makes me nervous, so you'll just have to listen to this track to hear what JOOK, and myself, think about these beasts.

The title of another great track is not just the title, it's also an explanation of sorts. Ya see, you can't always be on top of your game and when some low down misery gets the best of him, JOOK'S got no problem with letting folks know that "SOMETIMES I JUST NEED TO FEEL THIS WAY". More great vocals and top notch acoustic guitar pickin' highlight this one.

"AREA CODE 212" is, of course, all about New York, New York - a place which as JOOK says - "Is so important, you've got to say it twice". Having wished he moved there sooner when he could have bought the whole place for $24, you can imagine his disappointment when his moving truck got a ticket for five times as much. New Yawkers are going to love this one. Great harp and bass playing and JOOK doing his own background vocals make this one of the discs best.

The lack of caller ID has JOOK in a constant debate - with himself, as to if he should he answer the phone or not. You see, it's very obvious that "SOMEBODY'S CALLING", but who could it be? The many possibilities cause the phone to be on it's thirteenth ring on this very hilarious song. More great lyrics and vocals on this one.

Other tracks on "JUST A MINUTE" include: "HOT PEPPER SAUCE", "NOBODY CAN DO WHAT I CAN DO", "REACH OUT", "I NEED TO GET HOME", "THIS AIN'T WHERE I BELONG" and "BOCA RATON"

- BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN" LAURO


"Just A Minute Review-Graham Clarke"

It's been three years since Jook Bourke's last release, the highly entertaining and thought-provoking My Mojo's Just Too Weak. His latest release, Just A Minute, offers more great songwriting and performances. Bourke typically eschews the traditional approach to acoustic blues, adding drum or percussion tracks to a lot of his songs. His lyrics sometime venture away from traditional blues forms also, and sometimes his arrangements add elements of rock, country, and even gospel.

That being said, he's a compelling, always rewarding performer, whether he's singing about his favorite spice in "Hot Pepper Sauce," which might have you reaching for your bottle of the stuff, or the perils we southerners dread every year about this time in "It's A Hurricane," or even those down points in your everyday life that can't always be explained ("Sometimes I Need To Feel This Way"). "Somebody's Callin'" is even a reminder of those dark days before caller ID was the norm and you just couldn't be sure who that was on the other end of the line.

The title track is a sweet love song, as is "Nobody Can Do What I Can Do." "I Need To Get Home" recounts the hardship of being separated from a loved one, and the inspirational "Reach Out" is also a standout. There's also "Area Code 212," a hilarious jibe at New York City, and Bourke closes out the disc with "Boca Raton," a tribute to a beautiful city that looks even better when stuck up north during the winter.

Just A Minute is another winner from Jook Bourke, loaded with masterful guitar work and highly original songwriting. - Blues Bytes


"Just A Minute Review-Fred Krause"

"Just a Minute," 2007 Jook Bourke discovers the smooth spot where the blues takes a load off and offers a respite from life's travails on "Just A Minute." This pleasant, 11-song collection (all penned by Bourke) features his comfortable tenor, which occasionally dips into a throaty growl. Equally adept on guitar and harmonica, he files the rough edges off the traditional blues genre and creates an amalgam of jazz-inflected, bluesy tracks. The story-based lyrics revolve predominantly around relationships and their mendings and frayings. There are many enjoyable moments on this, his third solo CD, following on the heels of his "My Mojo's Just Too Weak." Though he grew up in Pittsburgh, Bourke seems to have absorbed some of the laid-back leanings of his present environs of Satellite Beach, Florida. Have a favorite beverage handy. © Fred Kraus Minor 7th
- Minor 7th


Discography

Just A Minute - Released 2007
My Mojo's Just Too Weak - Released 2004
A Redhead From Chesapeake Bay - Released 2001

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Bio

Jook is the son of Big Band Era, clarinetist/saxophonist, bandleader, writer and arranger, Patty Bourke. When Jook was at the age of 12, his dad began teaching him to play saxophone. He joined his first band at the age of 16. He was the lead singer and saxophonist in that band. Finding it difficult to sing and play saxophone at the same time, he invited his brother Stoney to join the band as a singer. Stoney was a natural born showman and quickly showed his talent for belting out blues, R&B and rock vocals. This started a musical relationship that lasted for 18 years. Jook started learning how to play guitar and harmonica at the age of 20. He and Stoney formed the Bourke Brothers Band a few years later. He was now playing guitar, harmonica, saxophone and sharing vocal responsibilities with Stoney. When the band finally broke up, Jook turned to songwriting and began performing as a solo artist. He released his first solo acoustic blues CD “A Redhead From Chesapeake Bay” in 2001. It was a switch from the electric blues and rock he had been writing and performing in the Bourke Brother's Band. He latest releases, “My Mojo’s Just Too Weak” and "Just A Minute" are built on the acoustic blues tradition.