Tab Benoit has gone the live route before on his recordings, and he's smart to keep reminding listeners every so often that that's where he's at his best. Which is not to take away from
Benoit's studio recordings, all of which -- including last year's excellent
Power of the Pontchartrain -- are admirable showcases for his consistently solid blues guitar chops and gritty vocalizing. As on the last effort,
Benoit is backed here by the New Orleans fixture
Louisiana's Leroux, who provide the kind of muscular foundation that makes
Benoit's funk that much funkier. They're all most at home when churning out a basic boogie like "Muddy Bottom Blues," one of a trio of songs on which
Benoit and band are joined by
Wet Willie's
Jimmy Hall, and "Too Sweet for Me," which spotlights
Kim Wilson of
the Fabulous Thunderbirds on harp. But on the occasions when they lay low, like "Fever for the Bayou," with guest
Jumpin' Johnny Sansome sailing on the accordion,
Benoit finds a deeper connection with the soul of New Orleans, a soul that, in this post-Katrina age, we all need to connect with more than ever. ~ Jeff Tamarkin