Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

Hoodooleen – Little Johnny (2020)

Inspiration can come from many places, but the Book of Revelations is not the most common. However, this book of the bible did play a big part in the inspiration for ‘Little Johnny’, the latest single by Hoodooleen. A powerful single full of drama from a man who is not actually religious.

The single is the brainchild of Robert James Hudulin, the man behind the music. Armed with his voice and a piano, he builds larger-than-life tunes that offer elements of classical music with some modern pop. Through a mesh of influences, he creates music that merges his classic piano with contemporary flavours and a hint of vintage vibes.



‘Little Johnny’ opens with an almost jazzy piano line that lightly draws you into the song. The gentle piano line gets an injection of drama throughout the single. The jazzy bluesy vibes of the piano-driven melody is a wonderful counter to the vocals and effortlessly builds the single. With only a piano, Hudulin is able to create enough drama and life for an entire band. The movement of the melody is wonderful as it builds then dips for light and almost playful high notes.

While you could get lost in the melody alone, Hudulin’s vocals add to the drama of the track. As the melody hits some bluesy vibes, his vocals have an edge of gospel to them. The power of his voice shines on this track as he powers through the lyrics. The lyrics themselves are quite heavy as they tell you about Johnny. There is a charming feeling to his vocals that makes him so easy to listen to that you will not notice the single is almost 6 minutes long.

Hoodooleen takes inspiration from the Book of Revelations and wraps it in bluesy piano lines, gospel-tinged vocals, drama and charm for the larger than life single ‘Little Johnny’. The piano-driven melody is an art unto itself as it offers a jazzy bluesy vibe that swells and dips. The vocals add to the art of the single with a gospel edge and unbelievable power.

Find out more about Hoodooleen on his website, Instagram and Spotify.

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