There weren't many blues albums issued during the early '70s that hit harder than this one. First out on the short-lived Playboy logo, the set firmly established
Walker as a blistering axeman sporting enduring Gulf Coast roots despite his adopted L.A. homebase. Of all the times he's cut the rocking "Hello My Darling," this is indeed the hottest, while his funky, horn-driven revival of
Lester Williams's "I Can't Lose (With the Stuff I Lose)" and his own R&B-drenched "It's All in Your Mind" are irresistible. After-hours renditions of
Sam Cooke's "Laughing & Clowning" and
Long John Hunter's "Crazy Girl" are striking vehicles for
Walker's twisting, turning guitar riffs and impassioned vocal delivery. ~ Bill Dahl