J. BLACKFOOT

Boomp3.com

Daddy B. Nice's #32 ranked Southern Soul Artist

Review by William Ruhlmann (amg)

J. Blackfoot's debut solo LP, City Slicker, is a concept album based on that age-old theme, the country boy's experiences when he comes to the city. Blackfoot isn't embarrassed to borrow heavily from Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City" for the album-opening "The Way of the City," and it's a good indication of what's to come: Blackfoot, with his gruff voice, is a forceful soul belter, but he's not exactly original. Nevertheless, in 1983 it was pleasant to hear someone hewing so closely to the soul sound of the late '60s and early '70s, and Blackfoot scored a Top Ten R&B hit with the smooth "Taxi" from this album, which also made a respectable showing on the R&B LP chart.