The final album by this long-lived but ordinary country-rock band went into a somewhat funkier, more R&B-oriented direction. Those inclinations were epitomized by the title track, a cover of the 1966 hit by
Robert Parker, though one suspects it might have been chosen out of convenience for the similarity between the song's title and the group's name. Some white boys can get funky, but these particular white fellows would have been better concentrating their modest strengths on more country-oriented material, as the soul-flavored cuts were pretty dull. Not that the rest of the album was all that special, offering proficient playing, adequate singing, and amiably upbeat, forgettable songs. At least some lyrical eccentricity came to the fore on "Hiroshima Hole," a blunt plea against nuclear energy; "Tokin' Ticket," a commentary on the variable penalties different states assign to marijuana possession (seriously!); and the bluegrass-like hoedown "Headin' for the Hills," opening with the witty couplet "everybody's headin' for the hills, had enough of welfare states and escalating bills." Wayne Moss wrote or co-wrote all of those songs, indicating that he was rather a more socially conscious writer than most musicians working in the country-rock field. However,
Barefoot Jerry were better players than writers, a limitation driven home by the concluding bluegrass-rock instrumental, "Highland Grass." ~ Richie Unterberger