John Hammond, Jr. has produced many hallmark albums during a 50-year career and 35 recordings, but Rough & Tough might top them all. Playing solo on a variety of guitars, a harmonica, and singing up a storm, Hammond acoustically interprets songs of the legendary bluesmen that established the urban Chicago train of thought...
...This is a flawless example of John Hammond's capabilities in presenting authentic blues with a feeling and passion that few artists can match, and comes with a high recommendation, and a well-deserved 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. ~ Michael G. Nastos, cduniverse.com
    Here’s a rarity smack in the middle of today’s electronic blues: an acoustic release by veteran John Hammond. Rough & Tough has the master singing some of his own tunes as well as some blues standards...
...Hammond gives each song special attention, and while his style doesn’t vary much from intense and furious to intense and fast, it’s well-worth sharing in civilized company. His voice is starting to crack, most notable in My Time After Awhile. It’s hard to tell whether its true degenerative cracking (2009 Bob Dylan) or just stylized huskiness (1979 Marianne Faithful). As SACD sound, the disc makes you feel like you’re right next to the stage, watching and smelling him sweat. His harmonica and picking style are stunning, as in the Tom Waits number Get Behind the Mule. I almost prefer this version to the one he did on the electric Wicked Grin, his Tom Waits collaboration from 2001. When he sings "stirring my brandy with a nail,” you can picture him actually doing it between numbers. His Statesboro Blues reminds me of the acoustic Tom Rush version from the 1966 Take a Little Walk with Me, but of course it’s better. More evolved. This record has such an authentic feel, it can’t possibly disappoint a true blues fan. ~ Peter Bates, audaud.com

"He's a tried-and-true individualist aware of the mythic power of 12-bar music;
his singing and playing of guitar and harmonica pose insights wiser
and more nuanced than he's displayed before on tape..."
~ Down Beat

"He unfurls an amiably jivey version of 'Chattanooga Choo Choo,'
as well as an acoustic rendering of the Buddy Guy standard 'My Time After Awhile'..."
~ Living Blues