Tony Joe White – The Beginning (2001)

Tony Joe White's "The Beginning" is some of the rawest grittiest music you're likely to encounter. Most tracks are pared down with just Tony Joe & the soulful guitar, accompanied by nothing more than the thump of his foot. "Rich Woman Blues" is a hot breathy blues track. "Raining On My Life" is a melodic poor boy tune, "It was sometime in late September & the leaves were turing brown, & as near as I can remember, I was somewhere on the ground." Tony sounds like a whole band on the bouncy "Ice Cream Man," "She's a cool mamma jamma, but she don't like to wait; If you tell her you're coming, well you better not show up late." "Going Back to Bed" is a slow track where Tony's guitar sounds like weeping while "Drifter" is a similarly slow tune that regrets life on the road. Tony is at his funky best on "More to This Than That," "If this is the end of me just keep my guitars in the family; don't put 'em under glass & tune 'em flat, ought to be more to this than that." Spanish touches grace the ballad "Down By the Boarder." Tony goes into deep blues gear for "Wonder Why I Feel So Bad." "Clovis Green" is the song story of a wealthy man with a pregnant daughter. Tony Joe's guitar is fluid on his diatribe against the corporate music biz, "Rebellion." Tony gets funky with the closer, "Who You Gonna Hoo-Doo Now," "Coffee skin, a little bit of cream, golden eyes with a touch of green, high cheek bones, kind of tall, you won't think twice if you think at all." The music shines with these unplugged spare arrangements; raw grit makes it worth the trip.

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. Rich Woman Blues
02. Raining On My Life
03. Ice Cream Man
04. Going Back To Bed
05. Drifter
06. More To This Than That
07. Down By The Border
08. Wonder Why I Feel So Bad
09. Clovis Green
10. Rebellion
11. Who You Gonna Hoo-doo Now

Recorded and mixed by Chet Hinsley at Tony Joe White's home studio.

Sound Quality: 8/9