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When "Polk Salad Annie" blared from transistor radio speakers
in the summer of 1969, the first thought was of Creedence Clearwater Revival,
for Tony Joe White's swamp rock bore more than a passing resemblance to
the sound John Fogerty whipped up on Bayou Country and Green River. But
White was the real thing -- he really was from the bayou country of Louisiana,
while Fogerty's bayou country was conjured up in Berkeley, CA. Plus, White
had a mellow baritone voice that sounded like it had been dredged up from
the bottom of the Delta. Besides "Annie," side one of this album
includes several other White originals. The best of these are "Willie
and Laura Mae Jones," a song about race relations with an arrangement
similar to "Ballad of Billie Joe," and "Soul Francisco,"
a short piece of funky fluff that had been a big hit in Europe in 1968.
"Aspen, Colorado" presages the later "Rainy Night in Georgia,"
a White composition popularized by Brook Benton. The second side consists
of covers of contemporary hits, with the funky "Who's Making Love"
and "Scratch My Back" faring better than the slow stuff. Dusty
Springfield had a minor hit with "Willie and Laura Mae Jones,"
and White's songs were recorded by other performers through the years,
but "Polk Salad Annie" and the gators that got her granny provided
his only march in the American hit parade.
(by Jim Newsom, All
Music Guide)
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