Live in Japan
It's Mardi Gras time every time soulful singer-guitarist Snooks Eaglin starts to play, and this live recording catches the Crescent City eccentric in full glory. Eaglin, known in New Orleans as "the human jukebox," leads a trio of New Orleans stalwarts anchored by legendary bayou bassist George Porter Jr. through a typically wide-ranging set spiced with his fluid but unpredictable guitar work. Eaglin's guitar lines may twist and turn like the Mississippi River, but his licks are neither lazy nor laid-back. He's also a solid, if admittedly idiosyncratic, vocalist who effectively personalizesStevie Wonder's "Boogie on Reggae Woman" with some swamp soul and totally reinvents theIsley Brothers' hit "It's Your Thing." Eaglin delivers more traditional New Orleans fare, such asFats Domino's "Josephine,"Earl King's "Soul Train," and his own classic party favorite "I Went to the Mardi Gras," with equally satisfying results. The deep blues workout "Black Night" and a reprise of producer-songwriterDave Bartholomew's gem "Yours Truly," Eaglin's first regional hit more than four decades ago, allow the boisterous blind virtuoso to exhibit still more of his expansive musical reach.--Michael Point