Pay attention to the "raw" designation in
RAW: That Little Ol' Band from Texas
, the 2022 album that purports to be the soundtrack to the 2019 documentary That Little Ol' Band from Texas. Within the movie is a segment capturing
ZZ Top
playing a show at Gruene Hall, famously hailed as "the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas." That set is presented here on
, an album that winds up being a more valuable document than expected thanks to the fact that it captures the classic lineup of
playing a bunch of down-and-dirty blues just a few years before the passing of bassist of
Dusty Hill
in 2021. While the group doesn't sound as spry as they did in the 1970s or '80s -- the rhythms are a little heavier, the growl in
Billy Gibbons
' voice is quite gravelly -- it's enjoyable to hear how they're playing as a band of old pros. They've performed these songs countless times -- it's not all the hits, but as they run through "Just Got Paid," "Heard it on the X," "La Grange," "Tush, "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide," and "Legs," it feels like they are -- but there's still energy and a palpable joy in how they launch into a groove or extend themselves in a jam and it's still a wonder to hear
Gibbons
solo. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine