| by Bruce Eder Of all the post-Fathers & Sons attempts at updating Muddy's sound 
        in collaboration with younger white musicians, this album worked best 
        because they let Muddy be himself, producing music that compared favorably 
        to his concerts of the period, which were wonderful. His final album for 
        Chess (recorded at Levon Helm's Woodstock studio, not in Chicago), with 
        Helm and fellow Band-member Garth Hudson teaming up with Muddy's touring 
        band, it was a rocking (in the bluesy sense) soulful swansong to the label 
        where he got his start. Muddy covers some songs he knew back when (including 
        Louis Jordan's "Caldonia" and "Let The Good Times Roll"), 
        plays some slide, and generally has a great time on this Grammy-winning 
        album. This record got lost in the shuffle between the collapse of Chess 
        Records and the revival of Muddy's career under the auspices of Johnny 
        Winter, and was forgotten until 1995. The CD contains one previously unreleased 
        number, "Fox Squirrel."  |