The second batch of material from the vaults of
Harold Battiste's AFO label is actually a stronger collection than the first (
Gumbo Stew), although over half of it was previously unissued. Most of it's good early '60s New Orleans R&B, with genuine highlights like
Prince La La's "Need You" (a futuristic foreshadowing of the sort of voodoo rock that
Dr. John would play in the late '60s), a couple rambunctious performances by the young
Dr. John himself ("The Fix" sounds like the early
Animals as played on a department store-quality organ), and the
Dr. John-penned "World of Dreams," sung in heart-tugging fashion by
Tami Lynn. Also includes tracks by
Barbara George,
Alvin Robinson,
Eddie Bo, and
Johnny Adams (a live 1960 performance), as well as
Lee Dorsey's smash "Ya Ya" (not recorded at AFO, but included because AFO chief
Harold Battiste says he produced it). If you've already got the best New Orleans R&B anthologies and want more of the same, you should make this one of your next stops.