I Got What It Takes
Few artists better fit Alligator Records' avowed house  policy of "House  Rockin' Music" than Koko Taylor. What she lacked in subtlety she  made up in  raw authority. This was her Alligator debut after several years on  Chess, and  it established the formula she would use from that point onward.  The focus is  on mid- and uptempo songs. The band, led in this instance by  Mighty Joe Young,  is tight and rocking, and just one song breaks four minutes. Blues  standards,  such as "Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "Big Boss Man,"  are mixed with  self-composed numbers like "Voodoo Woman." The only surprise is  country star  Webb Piece's "Honky-Tonk Song." The formula would eventually wear  thin, but it  works splendidly here.--Colin Escott