Yes, just for maximum confusion, Fats Domino released an album called “This is Fats” immediately after releasing an album called “This is Fats Domino.” After the debut-sophomore album kerfuffle of Rock & Rollin’ with Fats Domino vs. Fats Domino Rock & Rollin’, I think it’s safe to say that someone at the record company was up to some hijinks. Regardless, this is a really great album, which shouldn’t be a surprise at this point. This album doesn’t have a song that I tend to think of as a big hit, but it’s still a really consistent, very strong album. Domino stretches on a couple of the tunes and he manages to hit some new emotional beats while also not losing his iconic persona. My Happiness is a sweet, contented love song that breaks some new ground and Valley of Tears is both somehow witty and sad and Fats nails both aspects. On other tracks, like The Rooster Song & Hey La Bas, he’s at his raucous, high-energy best. At a certain point, there’s just not much new to say about this. This is another thirty-minute burst of musical perfection. 4 stars.
tl;dr – great song selection, great performance level; a confusing title situation is the worst thing about this brilliant album. 4 stars.