When
Foghat
founder
Lonesome Dave Peverett
(lead vocals and guitar) started his career with
Savoy Brown
in the late '60s, there was still something progressive about young Brits tackling
American blues
,
R&B
, and even some
rockabilly
, but as the musician entered his third decade of recording, artistic compromises and commercial success had watered-down the entire genre of
blues
-based
hard rock
, thanks largely to bands like his own. Although
had released a string of very successful recordings, the group's final two releases of the '70s,
Stone Blue
and
Boogie Motel
, both suffered from declining (although still substantial) sales.
Peverett
's response to the suddenly suspect viability of his group's
arena rock
sound was to take his songwriting in a more modern (if not quite fitting) direction on
Tight Shoes
.
New wave
punk
had emerged out of the U.K. in the late '70s, largely in response to the somewhat formulaic and self-aggrandizing
that had somehow overtaken the entire non-
disco
musical landscape. Although listeners might cringe while trying to imagine a musical amalgam somewhere between
"Slow Ride"
"Watching the Detectives,"
assessing
Foghat's
attempt at eclecticism isn't quite as simple as it may appear. The group's musicianship and studio finesse keep tracks like the single
"Stranger in My Home Town"
"Baby Can I Change Your Mind"
from becoming awkward attempts at timeliness. Instead,
successfully incorporates stripped-down sonics and simpler, almost
pop
arrangements into
, making it more than a hopeless grasp at musical relevance, making it worthwhile. ~ Vincent Jeffries