Editor Reviews:

Amazon.com essential recording:
These 17 tracks compose two of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's albums from the early 1980s, the Grammy Award-winning Alright Again! and the Grammy-nominated One More Mile. As the preceding suggests, this is Gate at his best, winding his way through blues, jazz, country, and all points in between with a surety that puts many a non-genre-crossing artist to shame. Whether he's taking the lead with guitar (highlights include "Alligator Boogaloo" and "Frosty"), vocals (listen to him growl on "Stranded"), or especially violin (head right for "Song for Renee"), Gate never misses a step--and sometimes he steps back to let others take the lead, as with Bill Samuel's gorgeous tenor sax solo on "Gate Walks to Board." Overall, it's a great blend of Texas blues and swing, the latter done with enough sincerity and aplomb to leave the swing revivalists of the late '90s in the dust. --Genevieve Williams

Rating : - Gatemouth Swings the Blues
Clarence " Gatemouth" Brown does it again with an eclectic mix of blues and swing tunes with a small group of all-stars. Performing on fiddle (violin & viola), guitar and vocals, Brown plays with outstanding jazzmen such as trumpeter Nicholas Payton and tenor saxman Tony Dagradi, both New Orleans based.

There were familiar standards such as Ellington's "I'm Beginning to See the Light," Don't Get Around Much Any More," and Mercer's "Thing's Ain't What They Used to Be." Two Charlie Parker-Jay McShann tunes are represented here with "Hootie Blues" and "Jumpin' the Blues."

Of the several tunes new to me, I particularly liked "Swamp Ghost" written by Gatemouth, among others. It featured Joe Krown on organ.

On listening to this album, it was reminsicent of small-group material played by Basie with some vocals reminding me ofthe late blues master Joe Williams. This is one I'll want to hear again and again.