China White Serpentine (2003)

"Timelessly nasty," that is about the most appropriate way I can think of to describe this excellent set. The opening title track "Feeling Snakey" is some of the greasiest low-down swamp music you'll hear as Tony Joe blasts, "If I ever make it back to Louisiana, if I ever get my body uncoiled, gonna take my woman back to the shack in the swamps, smell them crawdads boil." On this track it's abundantly clear that Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits owes a major debt of gratitude to Tony Joe White's lead guitar style. "Bayou Bleus" steams with a smoldering groove. On "Nothing I Would Not Do" Tony Joe waxes romantic, "When the night is falling, look up at the sky, pick you out the brightest one and remember that I will be looking at the same one trying to hang on until I make it back to you." On "Dark Horse Coming" Tony Joe's guitar burns like coal as he refuses to be ready for death, "I went up on the mountain, heard the panther scream, I know it's a sign, but I don't know what it means." "The Organic Shuffle" is a swamper's novelty song with a tale from the health food store. "Living Off the Land" has some blazing lead guitar. "Rico (14) Field Worker" is an aching ballad, "I never told you about my dreams." Once again, Tony Joe White has put together an excellent set that pushes & pulls, kicks & screams, wails & moans. Like a fine wine, this swamp fox is aging well.

In Amsterdam - in the time before the legalisation of some drugs and the following growth of competition on the market - takes place a war between the Italian and Chinese mafia because of the control of the heroin market.

This collection contains all but a few of the recordings issued on the much more expensive Capitol set Complete Capitol Black & White Recordings, minus the alternate takes. To my ears, the sound is very good. Comet/Birdland was very wise in their limited use of noise reduction. You hear all of the highs, lows and midrange very clearly with little to no surface noise at all, and no fake reverb.

The Blues, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, consists of seven feature-length films that capture the essence of the blues while exploring how this art form so deeply influenced music and people the world over.