Allen Toussaint

Very nice blend of instrumental pieces and songs. Up until I listened to this CD, only Vince Guaraldi's rendition of Cast Your Fate to the Wind was acceptable. Alan has given us another variation to appreciate ... without being sacrilegious to Vince. The two best songs on the CD are back-to-back, Working in the Coal Mine and Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky. I sorely miss Toussaint's creativity, his originality, his unmatched skill on the piano, and his wonderful, joyful voice. Thank goodness for CDs like this.

Allen Toussaint is one of those names you only know if you really know music, and know marginally. His name may be only in even an astute music collectors subconscious.This is in no way an insult to this master: its only that you can collect albums for your whole life and not realize how many small print credits this man has on the backs of your album covers in the deep recesses of your shelving. Glenn Campbell, Devo, The Meters, LaBelle: chances are right now I am within five feet of three or more albums Toussaint had a hand in and I don't even know it.His stature as a songwriter, one of the best has been established by other reviewers here, and a Google search will shed light on this musical force, a force in all music, not just that of the big easy.What might not be as easy to learn is why Allen Toussaint didn't record more, or that he doesn't have more well known recordings. This album from 1971 is a perfect example. He of course records some of his own music here, "Working In The Coal Mine," and does fantastic renditions of other people's songs, like "The Chokin' Kind."All this is done perfectly in a spare but full style, with piano from Dr. John, amazing horn work, and equally amazing backing female vocals. This stuff sounds organic--live and without an ounce of studio fat--but still reveals layers in this clean mix of sound each listen.But for me the Money sound is Tousaint's voice. He is not a belter or crooner, but has the exact singing gift that makes me love the equally brilliant Bill Withers: just like Withers, Toussaint sings with the intimacy of talking, inflecting his voice so economically to the notes that it feels like he is conversing with you directly. He makes great vocals feel so direct but so casual, which makes him all the more genius.\When you don't have a class A voice, understanding that limitation and turning it into an advantage makes you a class A singer. Toussaint's ability in this, and his second to none writing and arranging skills make this album essential.Sometimes the best is right in your face and you don't see it.

Wonderful album! Great music and lyrics.......and this man can PLAY! "Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Funky;" "Pickles;" "Number Nine," "From a Whisper to a Scream".........he wrote nine of the 12 songs and co-wrote another.

A very soulful album from Allen Toussaint. Reveals the real New Orleans soul.This artist is impeccable.

This is a nice album with various styles. I mainly got it to listen to Sweet Touch of Love, but there are some other catchy tracks as well.

By the time Allen Toussaint recorded this 1971 LP he was already a New Orleans R&B legend, first as a pianist, then as an arranger and soon thereafter as a songwriter and producer. Under both his own name and his nom de plume "Naomi Neville," Toussaint spun off a string of hits that turned the rhythms of New Orleans into R&B icons, including Ernie K. Doe's "Mother in Law," Benny Spellman's "Fortune Teller," and Lee Dorsey's "Ya Ya" and "Working in the Coal Mine." His songs would be recorded and re-recorded, branching out to hits by Herb Alpert ("Whipped Cream") and the oft-covered "Get Out of My Life Woman" (which found its way into the diverse hands of Solomon Burke, Iron Butterfly, Freddy Fender, The Leaves, Mountain and dozens more!).Toussaint had recorded an album of instrumentals in 1958, but the intimate nature of this 1971 release makes it feel like an artist's debut. Toussaint offered up eight originals (including re-workings of several songs previously given to others) and re-imagined covers of Harlan Howard's "The Chokin' Kind" and Vince Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." The latter two, a country song and a West Coast jazz instrumental, might have been out of place if not for Toussaint's brilliance as both an arranger and pianist. The former, originally recorded by Waylon Jennings in 1967 and given an R&B treatment by Joe Simon in 1969, was extrapolated into funky southern soul that's barely recognizable as the original; Toussaint realigned the lyrical emphasis and buried the trademark title hook in the chorus, arcing the song to a terrific riffing end. Guaraldi's "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" was taken at a slower, more loping tempo and given deliciously bluesy chordings on Toussaint's piano.Recorded in Los Angeles (much like Dr. John's "Gumbo," the following year), Toussaint surrounded himself with players from New Orleans (including Dr. John on guitar and organ), and together they laid down terrific funk-inspired soul. The instrumentals layered brassy horn charts on funky bottom ends, bringing to mind both the Meters and the jazz grooves of the Crusaders. Toussaint double-tracked himself for the lead-off track's pleading lyric of lost love, playing it desperately cool against the hot backing vocals of Merry Clayton and Venetta Fields. "Sweet Touch of Love" offers the sort of mid-tempo Southern soul plied by Joe South with a snappy horn chart and superb percussion."What is Success," is punchy and sly, mapping out the arrangement that Bonnie Raitt would use a few years later, and Lee Dorsey's "Working in the Coal Mine" plays up its New Orleans origins with a thickened second-line rhythm. Finally, the swampy arrangement of "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky" distinguishes itself from Lee Dorsey's sparer rendition, and even farther from the bass, organ and horns of jazzman Lou Donaldson's 1967 take. The CD's two bonus instrumentals include the Ramsey Lewis-styled "Number Nine" (which sounds like Young-Holt Unlimited recorded at Muscle Shoals), and the lengthy "Poor Folks," which segues back and forth between romantic piano interludes and syncopated funk workouts.Toussaint waxed several more fine albums in the '70s before taking a hiatus as a front-line artist. Though not technically his debut, this is clearly his true start as a solo artist, providing a good helping of both his vocals and piano playing. Varese's CD crisply reproduces the album's original ten tracks and adds a pair of bonus instrumentals. A pricier reissue (titled "What Is Success: The Scepter & Bell Recordings") on the UK Ace label adds a trio of earlier singles that are worth hearing. Either way, this is an album worth owning. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

Allen Toussaint is one of the greatest songwriters to emerge from the city of New Orleans. The astonishing array of artists who have recorded his tunes include The Rolling Stones ("Fortune Teller"), Lee Dorsey, The Judds and Devo ("Working In The Coal Mine"), Glen Campbell ("Southern Nights"), The Band ("Holy Cow"), The Pointer Sisters ("Yes We Can"), Robert Palmer ("Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley") and Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass ("Whipped Cream,") to name just a few.This highly sought after album was first issued in the early 70s, and features Allen playing several of his hit songs. This CD also includes two tracks not included on the original album.Features DR. John on organ and guitar, with Merry Clayton on backing vocals.

Ok