Allen Toussaint
is unquestionably one of the great American songwriters of the 20th century, so it is no surprise
Ace Records
dedicated a volume of their ongoing
Songbook
series to the New Orleans R&B titan. They're not the first label to showcase
Toussaint
's writing. Ten years prior,
EMI
released
Finger Poppin' and Stompin' Feet: 20 Classic Allen Toussaint Productions for Minit Records 1960-1962
, a terrific primer that focused on
's hitmaking prime as a producer, pianist, and writer for
Irma Thomas
,
Ernie K-Doe
Jessie Hill
Benny Spellman
Aaron Neville
, and
the Showmen
. As good as this was, it only scratched the surface (after all, his greatest singer,
Lee Dorsey
, was nowhere to be found).
Rolling with the Punches
does a better job in illustrating the full range of
's gifts and influence, touching upon classic '60s New Orleans sides (
Dorsey
's "Holy Cow";
's "Fortune Teller"), how his music got funkier as the '70s began (
's "Here Come the Girls";
's "Occapella," which
produced;
Don Covay
's "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky [From Now On];
the Pointer Sisters
' "Yes We Can"), and, especially, how many rockers and blue-eyed soul singers relied upon his songs.
Robert Palmer
got seriously funky with "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley" (assisted by
Little Feat
leader/guitarist
Lowell George
, who was a huge
fan and is heard here covering "What Do You Want the Girl to Do"),
Frankie Miller
tore into "Shoo Rah,"
Bonnie Raitt
laid down a seductive groove on "What Is Success," and
Boz Scaggs
ushered "Hercules" toward the slick Southern California coast. By no means does this contain all of
's great songs -- some of the versions are by no means close to definitive, either, with
the Judds
' perfectly fine version of "Working in the Coal Mine" being the main example -- but this illustrates his depth and range and, best of all, it's wildly entertaining. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine