If you're inclined to use the word "party" as a verb, then yes, you could have easily partied to any one of Tab Benoit's many CDs over the years - swampy blues that didn't necessarily fit rigid definitions of "swamp blues," they all contain more than enough Louisiana groove to go around. But he's never really attempted a straight blues party album before - one that sounds like Tab and his crack band just decided to crash your little shindig and set up. No frills, no sweetening, no bullshit. Fever For The Bayou is that album, and while it's never made clear anywhere in the packaging whether this Baton Rouge guitar legend and his band are cutting this stuff live, it certainly sounds like it. Your guests will never know the difference.
By this point, Benoit's tendencies have blended into a seamless whole: the Cajun honk, the river parish blues, the Memphis soul. So it's best to look at these 11 tracks in reference to whatever sort of get-together you're throwing. The opener, "Night Train," will light a fire under any party's ass (and it's lockstep groove means it also doubles as a great road trip song), while you can get some serious drinking done to laments like "Little Girl Blues" and the Texas shuffle "I Can't Hold Out." There with the one you love? Swing her gently around the room to the sweet soul strains of "Lost In Your Lovin'," and then, if everything works out, get some serious belly-rubbing done with the slow burner "I Smell A Rat." Is this a Mardi Gras blowout? Thrill 'em with the parade-beat cover of Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It," follow that up with a remake of Monk Boudreaux's "Golden Crown" (featuring the Big Chief himself on vocals) and get the old folks from the country up on their feet with the near-zydeco title track. When you've cleaned up after everybody, relax with the pair of closers, the after-hours hangover of "Blues So Bad" and the brief, gentle acoustic rendition of "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It."
What's different this time around, aside from the disappearing musical seams of Tab's influences, is the atmosphere: producer David Z has wisely decided to do as little as possible here, leaving the groove plenty of room to speak for itself. For his part, Tab seems to be both energized and liberated by the surroundings or lack thereof, playing fast and loose and choosing passion above technical accuracy every time (although with a guitarist of Benoit's ability, that's an extremely relative statement). All of this makes Bayou the perfect record for those who's can't get out to see Tab live, even if some of the visceral impact is always lost in the studio with a project like this. Then again, how else can you afford him at your crawfish berl?
