Harmonica Fats

Fats and Pearl change settings by turning acoustic, but if the album were mixed with more balance between the harmonica and guitar, it would more fittingly show their partnership. Perhaps Fats' greatest asset is the wit and humor in his songwriting, well illustrated in "Just Like Richard Nixon," a rollicking ode to the pre-Presidential days of Nixon interplayed with Fats' dilemma of being constantly hounded by girls. Funnier is "Blabbermouth Man," a supposed confessional about a tongue-wagging, testesterone-laced gossiper. Fats can sing about mundane aspects of life and turn them into curiosities, whether it be the virtues of soul food (what else but "Soul Food"?) or how making small wages isn't enough to post bail to spring the boss out of jail in "Everyday's a Working Day for Me." The downside is that the album lacks consistently high-quality material, such as "Vampire Blues," which is dosed with overt corniness. ~ Char Ham, All Music Guide