This is by far the best album this Louisiana blues/swamp-rocker has come up with to date.
Benoit is playing with basically a three-piece, with Doug Therrien on bass and Allyn Robinson on drums. The rest of the sound is filled in by various guests, some exceedingly strong Louisiana players. Therein lives both the problem and the strength of this disc -- the sound is a bit thin when there's no guest taking up some space. Only on the slow burner "Heart of Stone" and "Gone Too Long" does the basic band fill up the airwaves. The music is good, but without that fourth player, it doesn't have enough density. When there is another player, the sound is as gritty and raw as they come -- Cajun-based blues with a swampy sensuality.
Benoit's singing and guitar playing have taken giant steps forward and are up there with the best. ~ Bob Gottlieb