Mr. Zero

Voodoo’s Eros (Get Hip)
by Jon Sarre

Oli Dolot is this French guy who usedta be in Thee Headcoats, and you’d think the two things (bein’ French and a Headcoat) would be mutually opposed, but noooo. His Mr Zero project is big beat R’n’B with extra emphasis on the Rhythm (and it don’t hurt that he’s sufficiently distanced himself from his Gallic background to sing in English). His specialty showcased here is wild jungle exotica beats gone minimal restraint so that the girl with the diamond ring can take her time shakin’ that thing. It’s pounding, driving stuff that you don’t usually associate with Europeans, but M. Dolot is obviously no ordinary mortal.

As a songwriter, Dolot as Mr. Zero is content to rip off Billy Childish’s Heavens to Murgatroyd It’s Thee Headcoats, Even ’60s revivalist tendencies (versus his ex-boss’ ’70s revivalist Mighty Caesars tendencies). Ya got Anglophile blues-based riffage and tinny vocals distilled thru an echoing time warp, or maybe I oughtta break down and buy new speakers. Once in a while he’ll go off his nut as he does on “Your Voodoo Man,” cackle shivering like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins face down in some bad bush, or get the blues real bad like he does on “Down the Dirty Road” where he wishes for a “gun as long as my arm” so he can take care of his woman. Dolot delves into genre splices with no-surf-in-Spaghetti-Western-Soundtrack twang welded onto loping tribal drumming on “Jingle Jangle” and jazz experimentation sure to piss off Max Roach just cuz it’s there on “Voodoo Stomp.” For his closing number, he bitch-slaps Paul McCartney for one final “If It Only Coulda Been John, Oli, George and Oli” snarly Beatleboot shit-kicker called “Take it Off, Baby.” His name may be Mr. Zero, but his actual worth is much, much higher.
(Columbus & Preble Aves. Pittsburg, PA 15233)