Roger Hawkins. Image via photos.dailycamera.com.
Roger Hawkins never needs to be the main attraction, which is one reason millions of listeners have luxuriated in his sumptuous grooves.
In addition to the swampy splendor of this groove, note the patience.
Hawkins's groove, modestly rendered through sidesticks on the snare percolates through this song with hardly any variation except for the occasional rim shots that splash up to wonderful effect here and there. (Had he made this move too frequently, the joy in the surprise would have been lost.)
His playing reflects enormous trust in the singing and playing that surrounds him. He introduces no “how did he do that?” moments, but rather, pours out four and a half minutes of generous, groovy bliss, trusting everyone around him to spin it into magic.
What a great recipe for making music.
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