Tony Joe White – One Hot July (1998)

Tony Joe White started in the late `60s playing a unique style of swampy, soulful rockin' R&B. His greatest commercial success was in his first few years, with songs like "Polk Salad Annie" (which was covered by Elvis himself) and "Rainy Night In Georgia" (which became a big hit for Brook Benton). He then went into a period of roughly 15 years where he was barely heard from, releasing only a few albums during that time. Then, in 1991, the activity picked up, and he has recorded 6 albums in the last 11 years. The `90s albums are all quite different from his more famous early period. There is almost no hint of soul music anymore, but in it's place, White has become heavily influenced by the blues. All of the later-era Tony Joe CDs sound quite similar, but "One Hot July" is the bluesiest, and in my opinion, one of the best. It seems that White's guitar playing gets better with each successive album, and by now he's so good that he reminds me a lot of Mark Knopfler. In fact on "I Want My Fleetwood Back" he even employs a fuzzy-toned guitar similar to the one used by Dire Straits on their hit "Money For Nothing". The songwriting is extremely strong on "One Hot July" as well. My favorite track is a smoky blues called "The Delta Singer", a heartfelt song about performing in Australia on a bill with an unnamed Mississippi Delta Blues singer, presumably now passed away. "I never got to tell him I liked the boots he wore, and the faded denim jacket bought from some Mississippi store". He laments the state of a music business that seemingly has no room for the sort of honest, gritty, down-home music plied by Tony Joe and his Delta Blues singing friend. "You only got one way to play it and the blues they never lie, but you get so tired of fighting the flavor of the week, and it drives you to a distant shore where you might find some peace". Sounds pretty much like Tony Joe's life story. There are several other outstanding blues numbers here - "Cold Fingers", "I Believe I've Lost My Way". "Gumbo John" is a fine Cajun-flavored rocker. "Ol' Black Crow" sounds like JJ Cale at his best. There is not a weak song on the album, and Tony Joe is in fine voice throughout. Highly recommended.

Please note that this is an old but good rip, made with an old version of EAC, and coming from my archives on external hard disc.

Tracklist:

01. Crack The Window Baby
02. Gumbo John
03. Across From Midnight
04. Goin' Down Rockin'
05. Cold Fingers
06. I Want My Fleetwood Back
07. I Believe I've Lost My Way
08. Don't Over Do It
09. The Delta Singer
10. Ol' Black Crow
11. One Hot July
12. Conjure Woman
13. Selena

Produced by Roger Davies and Tony Joe White
Recorded by Gene Foster at Studio in the Country, Bogalusa, LA
Mixed by Chris Lord-Alge at Image Recording, Los Angeles, CA
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Masterdisk, New York, NY

Sound Quality: 9