Dixie Chicken
Little Feat was reinvented during the interim of Sailin' Shoes as bassist/founding member Roy Estrada left after its release in Feb. of '72. For the next few months, Lowell George, Ritchie Hayward and Bill Payne were augmented by bassist Kenny Gradney, percussionist Sam Clayton and an old High School friend of George's, guitarist Paul Barrere whom, later in the year, began the sessions for Dixie Chicken and thus entering into the 2nd phase of the band.
This is probably the most significant and important album for the band as it truly establishes a unit that really defines what Little Feat music is all about. Although the first two releases are the foundations from which they were built on, the opening title track shows an influence rooted into New Orleans-styled funk/rock which was refined and honed by bands like the Meters, and begins the record off in a very strong fashion. Two Trains follows in and has a sweet R&B shuffle to it and the slide flourishes of George propels this number into another instant classic tune. Roll Um Easy is an acoustic track that is sparse, yet beautiful, coupled with some great vocal harmonies and also, some electric slide to help accentuate the quiet power of this number. On Your Way Down is an Allen Toussaint song covered by the band quite well and has a laid-back bluesy arrangement rendered within its five and a half minutes. Kiss it Off is an eerie, quieter song that has elements of tablas and synthesizer wrapped within George's sweetened tenor range that results in a number that is kinda the backside of the previous Roll Um Easy.
Fool Yourself begins with a simple kick/snare beat and the plunking of Payne's electric piano notes introducing a positive vibe to this upbeat number. Paul Barrere proves to be a great accomplice alongside George within the guitar arrangements and his playing throughout the disc is noteworthy. Which leads to the next track, Walkin' All Night; written by Barrere and Payne, this song is an ode to the "sidestreet swingers" of the night which has a great funky/rock arrangement coupled with Barrere's debut vocal sounding like a rougher version of Lowell. Fat Man in the Bathtub would become another Feat concert staple and has the quirkiness of early Feat within time signature changes and odd chord progressions, a pure classic! The album bookends with George's Juliette, similar in tone to the previous Kiss it Off, and features a flute part courtesy of George, yet another glimpse into his talents as a musician. The quiet, stately Lafayette Railroad ends the record on a wonderfully mellow mood and is an instrumental performance driven by George's whining slide guitar, Gradney's solid bass, Payne's moody electric piano and the sparseness of Hayward and Gradney's percussions.
Dixie Chicken is by far, a deliciously produced package of great popular music and is truly a release that should be in everyone's classic album collection, bar none. 5 big stars.
This is probably the most significant and important album for the band as it truly establishes a unit that really defines what Little Feat music is all about. Although the first two releases are the foundations from which they were built on, the opening title track shows an influence rooted into New Orleans-styled funk/rock which was refined and honed by bands like the Meters, and begins the record off in a very strong fashion. Two Trains follows in and has a sweet R&B shuffle to it and the slide flourishes of George propels this number into another instant classic tune. Roll Um Easy is an acoustic track that is sparse, yet beautiful, coupled with some great vocal harmonies and also, some electric slide to help accentuate the quiet power of this number. On Your Way Down is an Allen Toussaint song covered by the band quite well and has a laid-back bluesy arrangement rendered within its five and a half minutes. Kiss it Off is an eerie, quieter song that has elements of tablas and synthesizer wrapped within George's sweetened tenor range that results in a number that is kinda the backside of the previous Roll Um Easy.
Fool Yourself begins with a simple kick/snare beat and the plunking of Payne's electric piano notes introducing a positive vibe to this upbeat number. Paul Barrere proves to be a great accomplice alongside George within the guitar arrangements and his playing throughout the disc is noteworthy. Which leads to the next track, Walkin' All Night; written by Barrere and Payne, this song is an ode to the "sidestreet swingers" of the night which has a great funky/rock arrangement coupled with Barrere's debut vocal sounding like a rougher version of Lowell. Fat Man in the Bathtub would become another Feat concert staple and has the quirkiness of early Feat within time signature changes and odd chord progressions, a pure classic! The album bookends with George's Juliette, similar in tone to the previous Kiss it Off, and features a flute part courtesy of George, yet another glimpse into his talents as a musician. The quiet, stately Lafayette Railroad ends the record on a wonderfully mellow mood and is an instrumental performance driven by George's whining slide guitar, Gradney's solid bass, Payne's moody electric piano and the sparseness of Hayward and Gradney's percussions.
Dixie Chicken is by far, a deliciously produced package of great popular music and is truly a release that should be in everyone's classic album collection, bar none. 5 big stars.
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