I’m back to having not so much to say about this one because, unlike the last one, it has absolutely no technical issues. The remaster on this one is absolutely perfect and the selection of songs is near flawless. It opens with the swaggering Big Beat and hits all the usual beats of a Fats Domino album to perfection. Standouts include What Will I Tell My Heart?, a witty ballad that requires Fats to call up a little melancholy; Barrel House, a rollicking piano-based instrumental; a thunderous version of Cab Calloway standard, I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead; and a hopping Mardi Gras in New Orleans. There’s one brief misstep, Long Lonesome Journey. It’s a brass heavy dirge and it would probably work if played at a faster tempo; as it is, it drags like molasses and, as the next to last track, kind of brings the energy down at the end. Still, let’s not quibble; this is a great album. 4 stars.
tl;dr – near perfect album hits all the usual Domino beats to brilliant effect; hardly worth criticizing. 4 stars.